It Started as a Game and Ended in Heartbreak
by MischiefHasBeenManaged
Summary: Hermione and Sirius share a night together, but it's not enough for her. She loves him, she needs him, but does he love and need her too? RATED M FOR BEGINNING AND LATTER CHAPTERS!
1. A Night to Remember

"Arghhhh!" Hermione Granger yelled in annoyance, knocking over everything in her path as she made a beeline for the library of Twelve Grimmauld Place.

She had just had yet another argument with the house's owner, _'notorious mass murderer, Sirius Black!'_ However, now that the war was over, he was cleared of all charges. When she finally made it to the library, she found she couldn't read, couldn't even spend two seconds without thinking about him. The conversation that had just ended with her abrupt exit from the dining room was plaguing her every thought.

She growled just thinking about what he had suggested. They had been 'discussing' all the women he bought home, a different one each time it seemed. Hermione was lecturing him on how morally unsound it was to use those women like play-toys and throw them away when he got bored of them. Sirius had argued that the women were more than happy to be used as _'play-toys'_ and were perfectly content to have just one night with him. She had snorted at this response, saying it was highly unlikely that _anyone_ would be happy with the treatment he gave those women.

"_I could have any women I want." Sirius had told her egotistically._

"_Ha! I can think of one you'll never get!" She replied._

"_And who would that be, my dear?"_

"_Me!" She had yelled, as if it were obvious and he should've known, which he really should._

"_Now, now, my sweet Hermione, even you couldn't say no to me." He had said, his voice dropping noticeably in pitch._

"_I am neither yours, nor sweet. And I could _easily_ say no to you." Her eyes had hardened._

"_Oh, of course you could." He smirked. "But could you say no and actually mean it?"_

_It was then when Hermione's cheeks had become tinged pink and she made a swift exit from the room. _

As much as she tried, she couldn't deny just how right he was. She _could_ easily say 'no', but she most definitely couldn't mean it in her heart. And after running from the dining room red faced, Sirius knew she couldn't either. And he planned to take full advantage of that fact.

When Hermione finally calmed down enough to read, she was interrupted by a cunning animagus wearing much too tight dark blue jeans and a black shirt that needed at least two extra buttons at the top. Taking a very deep, calming breath, she looked up to meet his eyes.

"Yes?" She asked, gently closing the book she was reading.

"I thought you might like some company."

"Well, I guess you thought wrongly." She informed him, placing her book on the table beside her.

"Then why did you put your book down?" He smirked.

She flushed and her eyes widened a little before she answered. "I was going to bed."

"But you'll stay now, wont you?" He asked, walking closer to her. "I think I need your help."

Being the naïve girl she was, Hermione smiled and asked him what he needed.

"I was trying to find a book... But I thought you would know how to find it better than anyone else."

"What book?" She asked curiously, already walking towards the shelves.

He told her the title and watched as she started wandering around the room, followed closely by Sirius. His eyes were fixed on her hips as they swayed back and forth delicately as she walked. Suddenly, she stopped and reached up to the top shelf to retrieve the book. She had to stand on her tiptoes to get high enough to reach the book, making her calf muscles more pronounced and pushing her breasts out as her arm was extended above her head.

He gulped, knowing that what he was doing was wrong, but he couldn't help himself, especially after the way she acted after he said she could never say no to him and mean it. She finally got the book down and handed it to him, looking very pleased with herself.

"Here you go, Sirius." She smiled.

He took a deep breath as she said his name and took the book from her. They stood for a moment, staring at each other in silence.

"Was there something else you needed?" She frowned.

"Yes." He told her, putting the book on an empty shelf and taking a step towards her.

"What is it?"

"You." He stated, wrapping an arm around her waist as she stood in shock.

She could hardly hear the words because of his close proximity, let alone comprehend what they meant. He wanted _her?_ But she was so different from all the girls he bought home with him several nights a week. As she was preoccupied in her bubble of thought, he managed to get both arms around her and pull her flush against his body.

Hermione looked up at him with her big brown eyes and he was so far gone that even if he had wanted to, he couldn't stop. He leaned down to her and caught her lips between his. At first, she put her hands on his chest and tried to push him away, but her heart and her brain were sending her body mixed signals. After a moment, those hands were pulling him closer to her.

He smirked onto her lips as he felt her give in. He had to admit, it was a lot easier than he thought it would be. He sucked roughly at her lower lip, impatiently trying to gain entrance to her mouth, but she was hesitant. Sirius slowly moved his hands higher, until they rested just under her breasts. She didn't know what was happening until she felt him give her left breast a hard squeeze. She gasped in shock, giving him an opportunity to delve his tongue into her delectably hot, wet mouth.

She knew she should stop him, but she had dreamed about this kiss for a long time, and she wasn't going to ruin it by pulling away. His tongue ran along hers and made her shiver. He turned her around and pushed her up against the bookshelf, putting pressure on the back of her thighs until she wrapped her legs around his hips. He finally pulled away and started kissing his way down her jaw and onto her neck.

"Sirius." She breathed in sharply. "Stop."

He did, pulling away from her neck to look at her, but still kept his hold on her thighs. He studied her flushed face, her head leant back against the books behind her and chest rising and falling rapidly with her breathing.

"I'm sorry. I can't." She shook her head as she tried to regulate her breathing.

All this time she was avoiding his eyes, not knowing if she would have the strength to stop herself if she looked into those beautiful pale eyes. He knew it was her brain talking, he could practically see her taut nipples through her shirt.

"Hermione." He breathed, leaning his forehead on hers, satisfied when her breath hitched at her name spoken in his deep, silky tone. "I need you."

She closed her eyes and tried to fight against her heart, and now body, that were betraying her brain and sense of reason. She had to leave, she couldn't let herself become another one of his play toys, she just couldn't.

"I won't be another one of them, Sirius." Hermione told him. "I won't let you turn me into another one of them."

"You are more than them, Hermione. You always have been, and you always will be." He told her, his breath tickling her face. "Please, Hermione."

When she didn't answer, he began kissing her neck again. Within a few moments, he found a pressure point just behind her ear that made her whimper quietly. He heard her loud and clear and licked over her sensitive skin with the tip of his tongue. She let out a small, almost feline purr as he began to suck on her pressure point roughly, reveling in her responses.

She had almost given in fully to him, but there was still a part of her that knew she was acting like the women she hated so much. The women that she lectured Sirius about almost everyday, sometimes even Ron needed to be given the same treatment, he was a war hero after all.

"Sirius, please. I need you need to stop." She moaned as he unbuttoned the top of her shirt and kissed the swell of her breast. "I can't do this."

He had given up trying to verbally convince her that what they were doing was okay, deciding the physical approach worked a Hell of a lot better on her. The fact that she wasn't protesting when he pulled her shirt from her small body made it obvious that she didn't really want him to stop. He couldn't suppress the growl that emitted from his mouth as his eyes fell on her lacy black bra. Her eyes were hooded and hair splayed out in all directions against the bookshelf. He wanted her – no, he _needed_ her.

Sirius lowered her to the ground, having to hold her up by her waist or her legs would give out. He clamped one arm tightly around her body and used it to pull her temporarily away from the bookshelf, while the other unclasped her bra and allowed it to fall to the ground. Immediately he lowered his head and took one of her hard nipples into his mouth, sucking on it and biting softly every few moments.

Hermione moaned loudly as his teeth descended onto her nipple and arched her back towards his mouth. No one had ever made her react like this before, and the sad reality was that no one had done this to her before. As much as she wanted to stop him, her brain couldn't force her body to do anything against its will.

He moved back up to her mouth and caught her lips in a searing kiss. Pressing his hips to hers to hold her up, he freed his hands to unbutton his own shirt. She gasped a little as she felt his hardness against her abdomen, and he used this moment to his advantage and thrust his tongue into her mouth. She moaned into his mouth and ran her hands over his now naked chest.

When he reached for the zip of her woolen skirt she began to panic a little more.

"Sirius, stop." She said, pulling away from his lips with all the willpower she still possessed. "Please, stop. I can't do this."

Ignoring her once again, he pulled the horribly obstructing fabric off her body. A pair of matching black lacy underwear that didn't cover a lot were revealed, along with her lightly tanned shapely thighs.

"Siri-" He cut her off with another open mouthed kiss.

Pushing her more firmly against the bookshelf had his erection pressed hard against her now almost fully revealed core. She knew she had to tell him. She had too... but she couldn't embarrass herself in front of him like that, especially now. When she relaxed into the kiss, he pulled an arm away from massaging her breasts to get himself out of his jeans.

"Stop." She whimpered, as he lifted her leg around his hips once again.

The moan she let out when he was pressed flush against her with only two pieces of flimsy fabric separating them betrayed her words.

"Don't fight it, Hermione." He murmured, nuzzling into her neck. "I know you need me as much as I need you."

She did need him. She needed him to love her just as she loved him. What she didn't need, was for him to take her innocence from her without even realising.

"I have to tell you something." She whispered, barely audible above their heavy breathing and the light suckling noises his lips were making against her skin.

She opened her mouth to tell him, but all that came out was a yelp of surprise as he tore her underwear from her body, completely exposing her to him. She tried again to tell him, only to be stopped when a long, yearning moan erupted from deep within her as he fingered her throbbing pussy. All thoughts were banished into the far reaches of her brain as unbelievable emotions took over her entire being. She was speechless, not even remembering what she was trying to say in the first place.

Sirius watched her head fall back as she tried hopelessly to fight the overwhelming pleasure that was building up inside of her.

"Sirius." She gasped, only barely able to get the word out.

He thrust another finger into her heat as his thumb brushed over her clit. She nearly screamed, but bit her lip to stop herself. He captured her mouth in his again, his tongue adding to the wonderful sensations flooding through her body. All it took was one rough twist of her clit before she was falling apart in his arm.

"Oh, Gods!" She moaned, deeply and erotically as her first ever climax sent her reeling.

She shook lightly in his arms for what seemed like hours before she felt him remove his fingers and bring them to his mouth. She watched through hooded eyes as he liked her juices off his long, talented fingers sensually.

When she floated back down to earth, she was painfully aware of the hardness pressing intimately against her.

"Please stop, Sirius." She begged, her voice low. "I'm-"

She was yet again cut off by a wet, open-mouthed kiss from the man she had so easily grown to love. She had always dreamt that he would take it from her, but now that it was happening she wasn't quite sure she wanted it to, at least not without him knowing. She heard another tear of fabric and stiffened, her whole body bracing itself for the inevitable.

"Stop, Sirius. I'm- arghhhh!" She let out a strangled cry of pain and pleasure intertwined together as he thrust into her body.

Her head fell forward and she gripped his shoulders so tightly she drew blood. She had her eyes shut firmly and buried her head in the crook of his neck as he continued to thrust. The pain, piercing and brutal, vanished as quickly as it appeared and Hermione was overcome by pleasure.

He was spurred on her her cries (though he thought they were from pleasure not pain) and began to delve into her her body harder and faster.

"Sirius..." She moaned against his skin.

The feelings that she was experiencing for the first time were so overpowering she almost climaxed right then, but managed to hold herself together.  
"Fuck, Hermione. You're perfect." He groaned as he plunged yet again into her tight, wet sleeve.

She smiled, actually smiled through the almost unbearable sensations that were holding her body captive. _Perfect._ She repeated in her head. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her, and although she knew he probably didn't mean it, it was the biggest complement coming from him.

_I love you._ She told him in her head, but couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, she hardly even trusted her voice to say anything at this time.

She moaned even louder as one of his hands wandered from the grip it had on her waist and began ghosting over her erect nipples. She arched into his touch, wanting more. He dived in and caught her lips between his in a passionate, fiery kiss that was so unlike any kiss she had ever been given. Just when she thought she would go mad from the insane amount of pleasure she felt, he bit down on her lip, pinched her nipple and hit that delectable spot inside of her all at the same time.

She was lost to the waves of pleasure, her inner muscles clamping down on his cock, pulling him further in, causing his climax too. She couldn't hear him growl her name or feel him throw his head back in ecstasy. She didn't realise she had stared moving her hands over his chest until she was nipping at the skin on his neck. She was too high in the clouds to realise they had moved until she was bent over the couch and he was fully erect and entering her again.

"Merlin, Sirius!" She cried, the different angle making her feel different emotions she hadn't even known existed.

She braced her arms against the side of the couch as he propelled into her again and again. She gasped as he hit that amazing place within her once again. She felt his hands, that were gripping her waist tightly begin to move upwards to her breasts.

Hermione gave up trying to fight, he had already taken her virginity, why shouldn't she have a little fun? It was very safe to say she wasn't feeling one bit like herself. Earning a smirk from Sirius, she began meeting his thrusts with equal force, falling into rhythm with him immediately.

"Fuck! Harder, Sirius!" She screamed, feeling the bubble of pleasure welling up within her again.

He complied, ramming into her with all his strength. With a slight squeeze of her taut nipple, she orgasmed beneath him, shuddering from its force.

"Sirius!" She yelled into the night, probably alerting the neighbors, but luckily the Black Household was empty that night, other than the two of them.

Sirius let go as soon as her muscles clamped down on his cock, his searing cum rushing from his body to hers in short spurts.

"Fuck." He sighed, exhausted, not wanting to ever leave her welcoming body.

He said it before, and he was more than willing to say it again, she was _perfect_.

It was her turn to smirk. He pulled out of her, all his energy wasted, thinking the entertainment for the night had finished, but she had other ideas. Before he could even take a breath, she was upright and kissing him roughly, her hands fisting his ragged hair.

Even though he was thoroughly exhausted, he couldn't deny how his body reacted having hers pressed up against him. He groaned as her started to grind her hips into his, pushing him around the couch and down onto it. She sat straddled in his lap, their most intimate parts pushed firmly together. He sat before her, breathing harshly, his chest heaving as his lungs tried to pull in the air they most desperately needed.

"Not getting old, are we, Sirius?" She whispered sultrily against the skin on his chest as she licked at it.

"Not all, my love." He managed a smirk. "You're just a lot more lively than I thought you would be."

She pulled away from him instantly and blushed crimson, realising just how wanton her behavior had been.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing, Hermione." He told her, gently pulling her head back down to his chest.

She slowly began regaining her confidence, kissing his skin softly and lightly tracing the lines of his tattoos with her tongue. She kissed lower until she reached his belly button, when she veered off to the side, kissing along his hipbone, before detaching her lips from him all together.

Sirius' breathing was getting worse, never had one of _'those'_ women, as Hermione called them, ever caused him this much pleasure. He looked up at her, almost begging when she pulled away from him.

"Was there something you wanted?" She asked with a cute frown, her head cocked to the side.

"God, Hermione. Why do you have to be so damn sexy?" He looked at her with lust clouded eyes.

She froze, staring at him in shock. No one had ever called her that before, and she bit her lip. She definitely didn't think she was anywhere near sexy, but obviously he thought otherwise.

"Kiss me, Hermione." He said quietly, moving his hands to rest on her waist.

She did just that, leaning in and planting a soft kiss on his lips. As soon as she felt his tongue curiously running over her lips, eager to explore her mouth, her confidence blossomed. Her hands traveled down his body, drifting dangerously near his cock, but never actually touching it.

He growled into her hot mouth, his hands moving up to her breasts, but stopped just before he reached them. He gave her a similar treatment, moving his hands teasingly just below her breasts, never actually making contact with them. Before long, she got fed up and removed her hands and lips from him to touch her chest herself.

He stared up at her as she squeezed her own breasts, moaning loudly and deliberately. His eyes clouded over as her head fell back and her mouth opened slightly.

"Please, Hermione." He was begging now. "I need you."

Her eyes opened and she stopped her movements, but kept her hands firmly in place.

"Why?" She asked him seriously, hands dropping from her chest and began running up and down her thighs.

"Why what?" He gasped, following her hands closely with his eyes.

"Why do you need me?" She clarified.

He paused, still watching her hands, but thinking about her question. Why did he need her? Because he had been watching her for a couple of days and noticed how much she had developed since finishing Hogwarts last year? Because he hadn't bought back one of _'those'_ women tonight? He didn't know. All he knew was that if he didn't enter her soon, he would go insane.

"You said it yourself, you can have any women you want, so why do you want me?" She inquired, her hands continuing their torture by ghosting over her flat stomach.

"It's more than that, love. I've wanted you for the past week, but now, now I _need_ you. Please, Hermione, we can talk later, but I need you _now_." He was begging again.

Just before her hands reached her most intimate part, his hands grabbed hers and pulled them away from her body. He captured her mouth with his once more as she shifted in his lap so she was positioned just above his aching cock.

"Now." He breathed, his heart beating rapidly in anticipation.

She impaled herself on him, crying out in ecstasy as he hit that one stop inside her. She remained still for a moment, getting used to the feeling of being filled before slowly starting to rotate her hips. Sirius groaned loudly, his head falling back to rest against the back of the couch. Gods, it felt good to be inside of her.

She found she rather liked being in control, she always had, but now she was realising she liked it even more in the bedroom – or library as it were. She became increasingly impatient with the tingling sensation growing in the pit of her stomach and started moving so quickly she was almost bouncing in his lap. Her arms were either side of hie head, bracing herself against the back of the couch to keep her steady. Her breasts were jiggling around so much it became painful.

As his hands were kept busy on her hips by lifting and lowering them harder than she could herself, she was forced to remove her own from the couch to her breasts. She squeezed them hard, moaning loudly and lowly as she did so, reaching a sound deeper than any she'd hit when speaking, no matter how angry she was.

He was in awe of her energy, beauty and most of all the fact that she was comfortable pleasuring herself in his presence, with him inside her.

"Hermione. You're amazing." He gasped, caressing her hips the best he could while still gripping her tight enough to move her.

She felt her inner muscles tightening, and after the three wonderful orgasms (all thanks to Sirius) she had previously experienced, she knew what was to come.

"Yes! Yes! _Yes!_ Harder, Sirius!" She screamed, almost bruising her breasts with the force of her squeezes.

She continued moving for his benefit as she screamed in release.

"Fuck babe!" She yelled, her choice of words not even registering in her head.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on who's point of view you look at, they registered perfectly in Sirius' mind. He smirked up at her for a second, before he felt his climax take over his body.

When the effects of their orgasms wore off, Hermione fell hard against his chest, breathing hard and covered in a layer of sweat.

"I love you, Sirius." She whispered quietly.

When she didn't receive an answer she began to get nervous. She leaned back to find him sleeping peacefully. She smiled and slowly eased herself off him, careful not to wake him. She winced at the sight of blood staining his sated cock, and she quickly grabbed her wand and cleaned the both of them.

She got dressed quickly and quietly, expecting the other occupants of the house to return soon. Ginny and Harry had gone out to dinner and said they would be back by ten, and seeing as it was now nine forty-five, she conjured a blanket to hide the fact Sirius was naked.

Teddy, Remus and Tonks were all gone too. Neville and Luna were taking care of Teddy as the couple celebrated their wedding anniversary alone in a luxury hotel in Muggle London. They would be gone the whole night and Teddy was staying at his Aunt Luna and Uncle Neville's until morning as well.

Mainly, she was worried about what Harry would think if he found out that she had sex with his Godfather. She shuddered at how he would react, before going into her room for some well-earned rest. Mere seconds after her head hit her pillow, she was asleep, remembering only just to put on a nightgown in case anyone intruded on her.


	2. Repercussions

Sirius woke the next morning with a smug smile plastered on his face. Not only did he manage to convince Hermione to sleep with him, but she had unmistakably given in after the first time. In fact, after a while it was her shagging him rather than the other way around. He was almost glad when she was nowhere to be seen as he checked his surroundings. He hurriedly got back into yesterday's clothes and made it back to his room without being seen by anyone.

Hermione was extremely sore when she woke the next morning, and was very glad she had left Sirius the night before to return to her own room. It would have been Hell trying to act normal when she was actually in pain. She guessed the pleasure overpowered the pain yesterday evening, but now there was no pleasure, and she felt every last ache.

She took some Muggle painkillers, they worked better than anything Magical in her opinion, and stepped into a lovely warm shower. The steam combined with water just the right temperature made her moan slightly. As she relaxed against the wall, she thought back to the previous night. God, what had come over her? Yes, she had wanted to shag him for a Hell of a long time, but what had happened was not what she wanted.

She hadn't wanted him to take her virginity without knowing it, but he had. She hadn't wanted to lose control like she had and allow him to take her not once, but twice, but he had. She hadn't wanted her head to become so clouded with lust that she actually took him once. Dear Merlin where had her common sense been hiding last night? But he said she was perfect, and amazing...

She sighed happily and finished showering. She left the room after dressing to go back to her room and almost ran into Sirius.

"Morning, Hermione." He greeted, as he did every morning and continued his way to the kitchen.

She made it into her room before the tears broke. She was just another one of _those_ woman to him. He had used her. She meant nothing to him. Nothing more than she had two days prior. And she was stupid to think otherwise. Stupid to think she meant more. Stupid to have ever fallen in love with him.

She buried her face in her plush pillow and cried harder.

Hermione Granger didn't come out of her room for another hour.

When she finally did consider it safe to venture out into the public, all the house's occupants were home and assembled around the kitchen table. Neville and Luna were also there, who had stayed for breakfast after dropping off Teddy.

They greeted her and she them, with a smile that was entirely fake, yet entirely believable. For the rest of the meal, she conversed and smiled at everyone and it was almost impossible to tell anything was wrong. She even had a conversation about Neville and Luna's upcoming wedding with Sirius.

Eventually, Neville and Luna left, and the men, Harry, Remus and Sirius, went to have a chat in the library, which meant Hermione was denied entrance. Remus and Sirius had taken Harry under their wing and now viewed him as a replacement for his father in the Marauders. They often had these 'talks', so it wasn't as if anything was any different than normal.

What worried Hermione was that Sirius was the one that had called the meeting. The girls, her, Ginny and Tonks, didn't know what they got up to in these meetings, but Hermione had a strong suspicion that they talked out their love lives.

"Do you think they're all secret lovers and are using these meetings as an excuse to shag?" Ginny asked, mainly Tonks, because Hermione wasn't really paying attention.

"I don't know, but I have to admit, that would be quite hot, the three of them together." She giggled.

"Merlin, yes!" Ginny giggled too.

"Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubbles, but considering Remus is married to Tonks with one child, and Harry is practically married to Ginny, and she's pregnant then it's highly unlikely for them to be secret lovers." Hermione added her rational point of view to the other two, while sitting on the ground with Teddy playing between her legs.

"You have to admit, it would be _amazingly_ hot though." Ginny said.

"No." She answered simply.

"Come on, an ex-convict, a werewolf and the Chosen One all sweaty and naked?" Tonks said. "You can't say that doesn't turn you on."

"Yes, I can. It doesn't in the slightest." Hermione replied, not even turning to look at the pair.

In fact, it was rather easy for her to say that. And it was true for two thirds of the trio, but she couldn't deny how much ex-convict, sweaty and naked appealed to her right then. She refused to be weak though, refused to show him how much she hurt. How much he hurt her, because all in all, she still loved him and didn't want him to feel guilty.

"You know, Hermione, I'm starting to think you're still a virgin." Ginny said out of the blue.

"I can assure you I am not." She said, a harshness she hadn't intended managed to seep into her words.

Tonks picked this up and her mothering instinct overcame her. "What happened, honey?"

"Nothing!" Hermione shouted, making Teddy's bottom lip quiver. "Why is it that you automatically think something happened? Do you really think that no one would want to have sex with me, so something must've happened? Why does everyone always think so little of me?"

By now she was nearly in hysterics, tears pouring down her cheeks as she yelled at her friends.

"Mione-" Ginny started, only to be cut off immediately.

"No!" She screamed, so loud that the males in the library were alerted. "I don't want to hear anything more from either of you!"

With that she turned on her heel and ran crying to her bedroom for not the first time that day.

The library was silent as they listened to the muffled shouting coming from Hermione and then a door slamming. Remus and Harry turned their heads to where Sirius was sitting to make sure he was still there. When they realised he was they frowned. It was usually him who caused the young witch to scream and retire to her room angrily.

Sirius was worried about her. What if she had told Ginny and Tonks? Surely she wouldn't, but what if she did? What if they knew? Tonks would undoubtedly tell Remus, who would give him a good telling off and remind him of how young the girl was.

Without a single word, all three men stood and hurried downstairs, where they found Tonks trying to calm her son as he cried in her arms and Ginny with her face buried in her hands.

Harry and Remus went to their significant others immediately, while Sirius stood with a frown on his face.

"What happened?" Sirius finally asked when Teddy had calmed down.

"We just hit a delicate topic, is all." Ginny said, with Harry standing behind her and massaging her shoulders lovingly.

"What was said delicate topic?" Remus asked curiously, sending a glance towards Sirius suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing you'd want to bore yourselves with." Tonks said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Hm." Remus was not convinced, but let the subject drop anyway.

He would talk to her later. The others may not have noticed, but he did. Something was definitely wrong with Hermione that morning, which was probably why she got so angry just now. He most definitely needed a word with her.

Sirius noticed the look of doubtfulness on his friend's face and began to worry a little. He knew that he and Hermione had become close over the years, sharing similar interests, especially in literature. He would have to keep an eye on him.

Hermione was crying her heart out. Not because of Ginny and Tonks, but because of Sirius. She was almost glad she had yelled at her friends, at least now she could use that as an excuse for not leaving her room. And she didn't for two days.

The only people she let in were Harry and Remus, and that was only when they were taking her meals.

So, almost exactly three days after the incident with Sirius – that's what she had begun to call it, 'the incident' – there was a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Remus. I have dinner." Came the reply.

She pulled herself out of bed and nearly collapsed as she made her way to the door. She was surprised to see him with not one, but two plates of chicken salad.

"I thought you might like some company." He said as she frowned.

As she thought about it, she realised she was growing lonely and the she always did enjoy his company. She smiled and invited him in. As they ate, they talked about Professor Garino's new book, an improved version of his original, _Hogwarts, A History_. Hermione told Remus happily that in this addition, he talked of the house-elves that worked in the kitchens, which had been so wrongfully left out of the original.

Remus started delivering her meals all the time and often ate with her, as they talked about this and that. Mainly books though, and Remus would bring her some each day from the library to keep her occupied.

Ginny and Tonks were worried about the state their conversation with Hermione had left her in. They didn't think it was a big enough deal for her to lock herself in her room for over a week, only accepting offerings of food, books and intelligent conversation. They questioned Remus many a time about what had made her so angry or so sad, but he merely told them she hadn't told him anything.

Even Harry was starting to get really worried about her, and he was caught up with Auror training and his five month pregnant girlfriend who suffered from severe mood swings.

Sirius remained blissfully ignorant to the truth that he was the cause of Hermione's condition. He just thought the girls must've hit a very delicate topic that morning.

Luna and Neville came to visit one day, but even that didn't get her out of her room. Luna put her bad mood down to one possibly non-existent creature or another. As she wasn't allowed to go in and see Hermione, she asked Remus to give her the dates she needed to know.

So, nearly ten days after 'the incident', Remus decided to bring up the subject of the impending wedding between two of her closest friends.

"Luna's set the date for your bridesmaid's dress fitting." He said stiffly as they ate breakfast together one morning.

"Really? When?" She asked, with only the slightest amount of interest.

"Two days from now. She really needs you to be there. Both of you." He told her.

It took Hermione a couple of seconds to figure out that by 'both' he meant her and Ginny, Luna's bridesmaids.

"Do it for Luna, I don't know what happened, or why you're so upset, Hermione, but this is her wedding day. A once in a lifetime event. It'll be the best day of her life, and Neville's too, and I speak from experience. They _need_ you."

"I'll go." Hermione said after a while. "I can't stand not seeing them anymore."

"What? Who?" Remus frowned.

"Everyone. Ginny, Tonks, Harry, Teddy..." She trailed off.

"Sirius?" He queried.

"Him I think I can go a week or two without." She smiled and Remus chuckled.

If she had been honest, she would've admitted that she was missing him, no matter how angry or upset she was. She missed seeing him, arguing with him, talking to him, smelling him... Just being in his presence made her feel good. She sighed and let a tear slip down her cheek.

Remus' highly evolved sense of smell allowed him to pick up on the salt before he realised she had let the tear fall. He took her hand and made her look at him.

"This isn't about Tonks and Ginny is it?" He asked gently.

She shook her head and started to sob loudly. He pulled her into his arms and comforted her as best he could.

"What's this about?"

"I can't tell you." She cried, burying her head into his chest.

"Why?"

"I just can't."

"It's okay, Hermione. You don't have to tell me anything." He said reassuringly.

In truth, even without her saying anything, Remus was almost certain this had something – or everything – to do with Sirius.

* * *

"Time to go." Remus said from the doorway two days later.

Hermione smiled at him and readied herself to face her friends for the first time in ages. Out of the blue, she reached up and hugged him.

"Thanks for everything." She told him. "I never would've survived this long without you."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad." Remus said as she pulled away.

"I guess it's probably a bad, but there's nothing we can change now." She said, and they started walking down the stairs.

In the living room were Ginny and Tonks playing with Teddy. Hermione cleared her throat slightly and they jumped up to hug her. She was immediately bombarded with various questions and apologies.

"Stop." Hermione said, and they pulled back. "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. I overreacted. And don't you dare apologise, it was my fault."

"We missed you!" Ginny cried as both women threw themselves into Hermione's arms again.

She laughed ruefully and pushed them off once more.

"Please forgive me." She asked.

"Of course!" They screamed at her.

"Hermione?" A curious voice came from the doorway.

She smiled and turned to face Harry, but had to fight to keep the smile in tact as she saw he was not alone.

"Harry!" She ran over and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad to see you."

"So you guys sorted things out, then?" He asked as she pulled back.

"Yeah." She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Tonks and Ginny.

"I didn't think I've ever say this, love, but I missed our daily arguments." Sirius said, moving to hug her.

She rolled her eyes. "I guess I missed you too." She said as he took her in his arms.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around his body and hugged him to her.

"Aww." Tonks and Ginny giggled, earning a pair of icy glares as the pair pulled away from each other.

"Well, we'd better get going. We're meeting Luna at eleven." Ginny said, taking Hermione by the hand and pulling her out the door.

* * *

Harry and Sirius were in the library when the girls returned five hours later with their dresses. Ginny burst in and demanded that Harry go and see the dress while Hermione walked in silently, completely ignoring Sirius. Harry and Ginny left, leaving her alone with him, but she acted as if nothing had happened, nothing was different.

"How are you, Sirius?" She asked, sitting in an armchair by the fire with a book in hand.

"Good, thank you for asking, yourself?" He replied, watching her closely.

"I've been better." She admitted.

"This whole thing with Tonks and Ginny sorted out?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm afraid I overreacted a great deal." She told him, looking up from the book. "But thankfully it's sorted now."

"I'm glad to hear it. Tonks even took the liberty of insulting the women I brought home as you were unable to." He was _smirking_ at her!

She felt a pang of jealousy and sorrow as he said this. It had been, what, near two weeks since they had slept together, and he was back to _them_. She guessed she shouldn't be surprised sometimes he brought home a different girl each day. She just wanted to be different, to have meant more to him... She was wrong, obviously.

"Good old Tonks, best friend anyone could ask for." She found herself saying.

"Hm." Sirius replied, going back to his book, and Hermione to hers.

They read in silence for almost an hour, when she finally couldn't take it anymore. She bid Sirius a very short goodbye and ran to her room before she burst into tears. She couldn't handle being in there with him, especially alone. It brought back too many memories. And she wanted them gone. She wanted the whole thing to just disappear, forever, so she'd never be reminded of how he had used her for his own selfish needs. Although, she did need it too, but not in the way he was prepared to give. She needed him to make love to her, not shag her.


	3. The Wedding  Part One

Hermione managed to get through the next six weeks without bursting into tears in front of anyone, a great feat as far as she was concerned. Sirius was bringing a different woman home with him every day, and she thought he was rubbing it in that he didn't need her and could have any woman he wanted. And all those woman were beautiful, gorgeous, _sexy_. How Hermione longed to look like them, then maybe she would get some attention and forget about him.

In truth, Sirius had started bringing home a new woman every night in the hopes to get Hermione out of his head. She had been plaguing his every thought since that night in the library, well, her body mostly. Her slim waist, the swell of her breasts, her erotic moans, her nimble fingers running over his chest... He groaned. He was hard again. Why did she always do this to him?

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Sirius called, shrugging on his dress robes to hide the otherwise obvious tent in his pants.

"Time to go." Remus told him, only opening the door a fraction.

Sirius nodded and the two Marauders made their was into the living room of Twelve Grimmauld Place.

"Does everyone know where they're going?" Remus asked, as the occupants of the house stood in their best clothes waiting to depart.

"Yes, Remus." Tonks told him. "We've been over it many times."

"Okay, see you soon." He turned to the side and disapparated.

Sirius watched as the others followed suit, noticing how Hermione's short bridesmaid's dress flew out as she turned, showing all too much skin. Finally, when he was the only one still in the room, he disapparated also.

After arriving at the beach, Hermione hurried off with Ginny to find Luna and help her with the dress. The others helped with setting up the seating for the ceremony.

"Luna!" Hermione yelled, throwing her arms around the bride.

"I can't believe you're getting married!" Ginny cried.

"It does seem a little odd, doesn't it?" Luna said in that dreamy tone. "Not having to worry about being attacked every minute and actually having fun for once. Getting on with our lives."

"Well, we'll be having fun for a lot longer then." Ginny laughed, patting her stomach gently.

"You guys are growing up too fast!" Hermione complained. "You're leaving me behind!"

"You'll find someone soon, Hermione. Don't worry." Luna told her, patting her shoulder. "Unless of course you've already found someone."

"Not likely." Hermione mumbled.

"Come on, Luna, let's get you into your dress." Ginny smiled.

All too quickly, the ceremony was over, Luna and Neville sharing their kiss bang on sunset, the colours reflecting off the water. The pictures were taken, congratulations received, the reception dinner eaten and speeches given. Now it was time for the bride and groom's first dance.

Hermione sighed as she watched the newlyweds dance, staring lovingly into each other's eyes, unaware they were even being watched. Gods, Hermione envied her. Luna looked gorgeous in her strapless lacy while dress, drawn in at the waist by a wide blue band. Her train sweeping over the floor as Neville spun her. White-blonde hair that could rival Draco Malfoy's tumbling over her shoulders in a stunning half-up half-down hairdo, courtesy of her and Ginny.

Before long, Remus and Tonks had taken to the dance floor as well. Then Harry and Ginny joined them, along with many other happy couples. It didn't take long for Hermione to notice Sirius in a corner flirting undeniably with one of Luna's older cousins. Before she could find anywhere to run to and cry, a voice interrupted her.

"Miss Hermione, you seem lonely, would you care to dace?" Xenophilius Lovegood asked.

She was instantly reminded of the way he and Luna had danced at Bill and Fleur's wedding a couple of years ago, and was not quite sure she could dance in such a way.

"Please call me Hermione, Xenophilius." She smiled at Luna's father.

"Only if you call me Xeno, Miss Hermione." He replied.

"Then I would love to dance, Xeno."

"I'm glad to hear it, Hermione."

She was at once swept onto the dance floor and very grateful that Xeno was dancing normally, probably for her benefit. She was laughing like a maniac, probably having had a little too much champagne after toasted to every person they could think of during the reception. She was suddenly spun out and landed in someone else's arms. Looking up, she smiled.

"Hi, Neville!" She smiled, continuing to dance with him. "Is this living up to be the best day of your life?"

"Definitely. It's been unreal." He answered, glancing down at the ring on his finger.

As she and Neville talked, the rest of the guests partnered up and began changing partners every minute or so. With a very brief goodbye and congratulations to Neville, she was whisked off to another partner.

"Harry!" She hugged him lightly, before pulling back and being spun out.

"Hey, Mione."

"Where's Ginny? I'm surprised you're trusting other people with her and the baby."

"George is taking good care of her." Harry answered, looking over her shoulder.

Sure enough, there they were, George being extraordinarily careful with her.

"Probably wants the baby alive long enough to teach it his pranks." Hermione commented, earning a chuckle from Harry before she changed arms again.

Looking up with a smile on her face, She tried not to let it fade too much when she came face to face with Sirius. Neither said anything, just watched each other. Hermione tried not to stare too much, and dropped her gaze about a while, which allowed Sirius to look at her more closely.

Her hair was pinned in a messy up-do, giving him full vision of her slender neck. The strapless bridesmaid's dress she was wearing gave him a wonderful view of her the swell of her breasts that he had dreamed about so many times. His hands were becoming restless on her waist, wanting to explore her more, touch her breasts again. Coughing pointedly, he stopped himself before his part-erection could grow anymore.

Hermione let out a relieved breath as she was spun on into Ron's arms and was more than happy to follow when he asked if she'd get a drink with him.

"How are you, Ron?" Hermione asked once they were sitting at the bar observing the dancing with a glass of champagne each. "It seems like we haven't talked in ages."

"We haven't. It's been over two months." Ron answered, sounding a little put out.

"Really? Oh, I'm, sorry, Ron. I've not been myself lately." She stole a glance at Sirius, who was with another of Luna's cousins by now. "Anyway, how had life been for you?"

"Good, everything has been going great with Marjorie." He said, she had been the year behind them at Beauxbatons and met Ron about a few months ago when on holiday in London. "I think I'm going to propose to her."

She nearly spat out the sip of champagne she had just drunk. "Excuse me?" She choked out.

"I'm thinking about asking her to marry me." He said, frowning a little. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, Merlin no, Ron. I'm sure she's a great girl." Hermione said.

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming soon."

"But... isn't this all a bit rushed? You've only known her for a while. You haven't even met her family yet."

"But if we get engaged she'll have to take me to France to meet her family then."

"I still don't know, Ron." She sighed. "But I don't want my opinion to change your mind. If you think your marriage will last, then go for it."

"I still haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking about it."

"Do you think she'd say yes?"

"I think she would. It might be too soon, but- I don't know, she's the kind of person who likes to do things quickly. Doesn't like to hang around on one decision or idea for too long."

_Which is why she won't last in marriage for too long._ Hermione thought sadly. God, Ron could be blind sometimes.

"Let me tell you a story." Hermione said, turning to him. "My dad said this to me once. He said if I ever wanted to propose to my boyfriend, but wasn't quite sure about it, to think of what they'd say. He told me if I wasn't 100% sure they'd say yes, I shouldn't ask."

"So, because I'm not positive she'll say yes, I shouldn't ask her?" Ron asked, looking confused.

"Yeah, well, that's what he said anyway." She answered. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"You think she'll say no, don't you?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Ron. Yes, I think she'll turn you down." Hermione told him. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's good to have a second opinion." He said, looking defeated.

"You've not told anyone else, have you?"

"I thought you'd be the most sensible about it." He explained. "And I don't really have anyone who I could talk to."

"What about Harry?"

"He's too preoccupied with Ginny and the baby, and Auror training." He sighed.

"What about one of your brothers? Most of them are married." Hermione said.

"I hardly ever see any of them." He said. "And besides, Bill has a six month old baby to look after, Charlie's still in Romania, Percy wouldn't take me seriously and the is no way I would talk to the twins about this. The whole world would know within the hour!"

"Okay, you have a point, what about Arthur or Molly?"

"They're too busy fussing over various grandchildren or a new in-law."

"Ginny?" She queried.

"Are you kidding? She hates Marjorie!" Ron exclaimed.

"And you'd still marry her?" Hermione asked. "Even though Ginny doesn't like her?"

"I guess so." He shrugged.

"She's more important than your own sister? You'd chose her over Ginny?" She asked.

"I've never really thought about it." He admitted.

"Ginny's nearly twenty, you've known her for over nineteen years, and you've known Marjorie for not six months. Please tell me Ginny's more important to you."

"I guess she is, but I'm just so in love with Marjie."

"I used to feel that way about someone, you know. So in love that I didn't think I'd be able to live with just being their friend. I didn't think I'd ever be able to love anyone else the way I loved them." Hermione said. "But when I realised he didn't share my feelings, I got over it, and fell in love again, this time my feelings are nearly doubled what they were for him."

"Who was he? The first person you loved?" Ron asked.

She sighed, taking a deep breath before answering. "You."

Ron spat his champagne out and started choking. Hermione muttered a quick _'anapneo'_ and he stopped.

"Thanks." He coughed, still slightly in shock.

"I'm not now, you know." Hermione said. "So you don't have to worry about anything."

"Wow. I never wouldn't thought."

"No, you had no idea. If it wasn't so infuriating at the time I would've laughed. I wasn't exactly being subtle."

"I'm so sorry, Mione."

"Why?"

"That I never figured it out."

"Don't be silly. It would've been terribly awkward if you had."

"I guess you're right." He chuckled. "Maybe we should just be glad I'm so slow."

"Maybe so." Hermione smiled at him. "Is Marjorie here?"

"Yeah, she went to the bathroom before we started talking. She should be back by now." He frowned. "I think I'll go look for her."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out too." They hugged and Ron was off.

After a quick sweep of the room, Hermione's eyes fell on Sirius. He was standing in his 'flirting' stance, she knew it all too well and had it memorized a long time ago. He was with some blond girl, the shade was too dark to be a Lovegood, so who was she? Oh, Merlin! Hermione's eyes widened slightly. It was Marjorie! Although she had only met her a few times, it was unmistakably her now. After only a moment of contemplation, she was hurrying over to the pair.

"Hey, Sirius." Hermione smiled and leant up to kiss him on the cheek.

Sirius was in shock, but it was a good shock. Hermione had wrapped her arm around his waist and was leaning against him. But as much as he liked it, it was making him hard incredibly quickly, even though she wasn't really doing anything, and he was in a crowd of his closest friends.

"Oh, hi Marjorie!" Hermione exclaimed, addressing the very confused looking girl in front of her for the first time. "You might not remember me, but we met a few months back. I'm Hermione."

She held out her hand for her to shake, but the poor thing was still too stunned to do anything. Frowning, Marjorie walked off, leaving Sirius to deal the the eminent explosion from Hermione. She pulled away from him and turned to face him.

The second he saw Hermione with her hand on her right hip he knew he was in trouble.

"Do you know who that was?" Hermione asked, stepping towards him.

"Marjorie. She's French." He answered, taking a step back.

"Oh, I know. She's also Ron's girlfriend, did you know that?" She asked, still walking toward him.

"No." He answered, still moving away.

"She's also _nineteen_." She said, eyes narrowed as she backed him into a corner.

"You're twenty." He smirked. "Didn't seem to stop you."

Hermione's face went blank and she sniffed back tears. "Don't bri-" She croaked, before coughing and starting more clearly. "Don't bring me into this."

Sirius looked at her and saw the sadness in her face. _Why was she sad? It couldn't be because of that girl, he'd hardly done anything. So why was she acting like this?_

"Just stay away from her, okay?" Hermione mumbled, turning to walk away without waiting for an answer.

He reached out for her hand, but he just missed it. His gaze was fixed on her exposed thighs as she walked away from him. _Pervert._ His brain told him and he mentally slapped himself.

Hermione ignored the way her lips were still tingling from when she'd kissed him and got another glass of champagne. She sat at the bar again and smiled when she saw Harry and Ginny slow dancing to a Muggle love song. _Can You Feel The Love Tonight?_ From the movie _The Lion King_. It was so Luna. Hermione hummed along to the song, she liked the movie lyrics better than the originals and had memorized the lyrics by the time she was eight. _The Lion King_ was one of her favourite childhood movies.

Without realising she found herself staring at Sirius, who was dancing with the first of Luna's cousins that he showed interest in. She sighed and thought about just how much she'd give to be in her place. No, not her place, she had been in her place nearly two months ago and as amazing as it had been at the time, it was now a living Hell. She wanted him to love her.

Remus walked up behind the young witch and followed her gaze. It surprised him to see that the object of her adoring gaze was his fellow Marauder. He thought she would've been smart enough to look past his looks, to know that he'd never settle for one woman. He sighed and walked over to her.

"You're not the only one, Hermione." He said, sitting down beside her. "Close to forty percent of the girls at Hogwarts had a crush on him back in the day."

Her head snapped up as she readied herself to deny she had any idea what he was talking about, but when she saw the almost pained and apologetic look on his face she knew there was no denying it.

"I thought it would've been more to be honest." She mumbled.

"Another almost forty had crushes on James." Remus informed her.

"The rest?" Hermione inquired.

"Were in Slytherin." He said simply.

Hermione couldn't help the small laugh that escaped. "What about you? I'm sure James and Sirius could spare a few percent for you. I expect you were a very attractive young man."

"Not as good-looking as those two, that's for sure." He sighed.

They watched in silence for a moment before Hermione decided to spill her guts. "You know, Remus, I wish I did have a crush on him."

"Don't you?" He was thoroughly confused now.

"No, it's a lot more complicated than that." She sighed and looked at Sirius again, tears clinging to her lashes.

It was then when Remus began to fully understand what she was going through.

"You love him, don't you, Hermione?" He asked softly, so no one would overhear.

She nodded and sniffed loudly.

"Have you ever thought about telling him?" Remus asked after a short pause.

"I did." Hermione answered. "He didn't hear me, though. He was asleep."

"Why were you with him when he was asleep?" He asked curiously.

"Well, uh..." Hermione flushed a deep red and turned away. "We, um-"

"Oh, Hermione, please tell me you didn't." He felt his heart pull as he thought how much pain she must've gone through.

"I slept with him." She whispered, trying in vain to hold back the tears.

Remus stood and pulled her out of the tent and a way down the beach so no one would see her crying. She collapsed onto the sand and started sobbing uncontrollably. He pulled her to him and allowed her to cry into his shoulder for a good ten minutes before she finally calmed down.

"Thanks." She sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"When?"

"The day before I got into that fight with Tonks and Ginny. When you and Tonks were out for your anniversary."

"That's why you stayed in your room for so long." He thought out loud.

She nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was your argument about?"

"They were wondering what you, Harry and Sirius did at your meetings and were suggesting that you were all secret lovers and I, as always, was the sensible one and said you were married with a son and Harry had a pregnant girlfriend." She said, ignoring his shocked gasp. "Then they said I couldn't not find the three of you all sweaty and naked attractive and I said I didn't. But the truth was I found the idea of Sirius naked and sweat again very attractive, but Harry's like my brother and you're like my father, so that would just be really weird if I did find it attractive, which I totally didn't by the way-"

"Hermione!" Remus interrupted, making her jump a little. "You're going a little off topic."

"Sorry. I do that sometimes when I'm upset." She looked down. "Anyway, then Ginny said she was starting to think I was still a virgin. And that just set me off, I went insane, because obviously, a few hours earlier I had been-"

"You were a virgin? Did he know?" Remus asked.

She looked down and started crying softly again. He wrapped her up in his arms and stroked her arm gently.

"I'll take that as a no." He said. "Why didn't you tell him?"

"I tried, but he must've thought I was going to tell him to stop again and he stopped me from saying anything each time I tried."

"You told him to stop?"

"Yeah, I knew I'd just be another one night stand. I knew he didn't love me. But I loved him and after the pain went away... I went a little crazy."

"How so?"

"Well, we had sex twice more for one thing." She said, not caring that the conversation was making the werewolf beside her uncomfortable. "He was exhausted after the second time, but I wasn't, so I- um, I won't go into details. And when I collapsed onto him and told him I loved him after the third time, he was already asleep."

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. He can be very... stubborn, I guess. Once he has his mind set on something there's no stopping him. I admit I am surprised it took him this long to realise what a beautiful young woman you've become."

She blushed a little and studied the sand intently.

"I just can't stand how he's acting no different. I don't think I can live like this, Remus. As much as I want to hate him, I still love him with all my heart."

They talked a while more, staying away until Hermione had completely pulled herself back together, she didn't want to ruin the evening for Luna and Neville.


	4. The Wedding  Part Two

Sirius decided to find Remus and tell him about Hermione. He would be angry – no, he'd be _'disappointed'_. He rolled his eyes reflexively. Remus was always disappointed with him, and after he told him about Hermione... no, he didn't have to do that. He could just say it was _one_ of his one-night stands, he didn't have to be specific. Yes, he'd do that, tell Remus he'd developed strong feelings for one of 'those' women and needed his advice. That would work, now, where had he run off to...?

When he didn't see him in the tent, he walked out and looked over the length of the beach. He saw two figures in the distance, one noticeably larger than the other, he approached them slowly, before realising it was Remus and Hermione. He stopped in his tracks and thought about what to do.

He could casually stroll past, trying to catch some of their conversation, but he didn't think that would work, they were both very intelligent. Maybe he could use the bushes behind them? He would be able to hear them from there. Yes, he'd hide in the bushes. Hopefully they wouldn't hear him.

Slowly and carefully, he made his way into the foliage and crept over to them, making sure he was being as quiet as possible. When he reached a position where he could hear them clearly, he stopped and listened.

"...took him this long to realise what a beautiful young woman you've become." He heard Remus saying.

"I just can't stand how he's acting no different. I don't think I can live like this, Remus. As much as I want to hate him, I still love him with all my heart." The voice that haunted his dreams every night spoke sadly.

_Love? Who did she love? _His mind buzzed with questions. _Who could it be?_ He went through the options in his head, zoning out to what Remus and Hermione were now saying. Harry? No, he had Ginny and she as expecting. Ron? He had that pretty French girl, and if it were Ron, Hermione would've been more than happy to leave Marjorie with him. Who else? A different Weasley boy? No, all were married, had children, were in a committed relationship or a combination there of. Maybe it was someone he did know? Like someone from when she was at Hogwarts?

_Dammit!_ He was desperate to know who it was, mainly so he could prove to her he was better than any other idiot stupid enough not to realise she was in love with him.

Sirius was only alerted to the pair in front of him again when they began to move. Hermione brushed off her beautiful blue dress as she stood, swishing the delicate fabric around her upper thighs. That dress really was too short for her own good. Although, he couldn't find it within himself to complain wholeheartedly at that moment.

The moonlight was reflecting off the glitter-covered bodice of her dress and gave the impression her breasts were glowing. God, he just had to relate everything back to them didn't he? Why did he have to be such a pervert? What he was currently thinking was borderline paedophilia, she was not twenty one for a month or two and he was in his forties! Very early forties, mind you, but forties never the less.

He watched with a surprising amount of jealousy as she walked back to the tent with her head leant on Remus' arm.

When his rather obvious erection had settled a little and he was able to form coherent thoughts again, he decided to wait a few days before talking to Remus. With that determined, he went back in search of one particular Lovegood cousin who had invited him home after the festivities were over. Subtly taking her off to the side, he suggested they continued the celebrations elsewhere, and she more than agreed. He had to hold her at arms length while he apparated them back to Grimmauld Place so she wouldn't start kissing him in the presence of his friends and her family.

* * *

Hermione was worried. She couldn't see Sirius anywhere, and didn't want to think that he'd left with someone, a woman, one of _those_ women. She asked Remus too, but he was no help, stating he hadn't seem him either and looking at her sympathetically before telling her as gently as he could that he'd probably already left.

She looked around the room, praying, mainly for Ron's sake that Marjorie was still there. Thankfully, she was, standing at the bar with Ron, looking very bored with his company. Hermione walked over and joined the conversation, smiling at Ron and attempting to with Marjorie.

"Marjorie, this is Hermione, you've met her a few times before, but you might not remember." Ron said. "Hermione, this is my Marjorie."

He kissed his girlfriend on the cheek, smiling happily.

_If only he could see the look on her face when he did that._ Hermione sighed.

"Yes, she has already introduced herself to me tonight." The girl's accent made it terribly hard to understand her.

"Nice to meet you... again." Hermione forced a smile and laughed weakly.

"Yes, you too. Where is your boyfriend?" She asked, glaring a little.

Ron frowned at her, and she herself had to physically stop from looking confused. After a moment, she realised the younger witch was talking about Sirius.

"Oh, you mean Sirius?" Hermione inquired and received a nod. "No, no, he's not my boyfriend."

"But you kissed him?" Marjorie said, making Ron's mouth drop slightly.

"Only on the cheek, as a greeting. He's a close friend, that's all." Hermione assured her, Ron, and in part, herself.

"Oh, really?" The girl frowned again. "He still did seem very happy when you kissed him."

Hermione's heart jumped a little in her chest, but she forced her happiness not to show.

"Hm." She said, before changing the subject. "Who wants another drink?"

"Oh, no thank you. I really need to get home." Marjorie said, turning to Ron. "I will see you tomorrow, yes?"

"Of course. Goodnight sweetie." He kissed her on the forehead before she apparated away.

"What's this about you and Sirius kissing?" Ron asked immediately, not even waiting for his girlfriend to have fully disappeared.

"Nothing!" Hermione hissed. "I only kissed him on the cheek! I've done that to you and Harry on countless occasions!"

"Yes, but the way Marjie was explaining it, it was a lot more affectionate than the way you kiss us."

"It wasn't!" She objected.

"Are you sure?" Ron still didn't quite believe her. "I've never seen you kiss him before."

"Ron, just drop it." She sighed after a long pause.

"Why? Because you don't want to admit it _was_ an affectionate kiss?"

"No!" She would've screamed, but they were still at the wedding and surrounded by people, so she tried to keep her voice down.

"I think it was." Ron stated.

"Do I look like I care what you think?" Hermione said harshly, glaring at him, before softening her features. "Sorry, of course I care." She muttered.

"Hermione, I know you're lying to me. I'm not sure what about, but I know you are." He said. "You can tell me, or not. I don't mind."

"I can't Ron. I don't want to hurt you." She said.

"What could possibly hurt me about it? I wouldn't really mind if you and Sirius were together, Mione. You two seem to match."

"We're not." She assured him, hiding her sadness.

"Then what would make me get upset?" He asked in confusion.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

"It's about Marjorie." She started. "I saw her with Sirius."

"What's wrong with that?"

"They were flirting, it was quite obvious." She told him in an apologetic voice.

He remained silent, so she continued.

"I went over and kissed Sirius on the cheek, giving the impression that I was his girlfriend so she would leave."

"She doesn't love me." He stated.

"Ron, I'm sorry. I really am."

"She doesn't even like me."

"Come on, Ron, she wouldn't have stayed with you this long if she didn't even like you."

He sighed, looking utterly heartbroken. Hermione sighed too, she felt bad for him.

"If it helps, I think you can do a lot better than her." She told him truthfully. "No one really liked her anyway. I remember Ginny telling me she was ten times worse than Fleur. She even mentioned hitting her with a hex that caused her shoelaces to tie together once, said she made them undo-able and unbreakable too, so they couldn't be cut. I remember suggesting that next time she stuck the shoes to her socks so she couldn't take them off."

"That was Ginny?" Ron asked, when Hermione was done chuckling.

"Uh..." She frowned a little, not meaning to get her friend into trouble. "It was just a bit of harmless fun."

"Harmless? If I remember correctly, she tripped getting up from the couch and hit the coffee table when she fell. _She broke her nose_." He said, putting emphasis on the last sentence.

Trying uselessly to keep her laughter down, Hermione looked at him, biting her lip. Within seconds they had both dissolved into fits of laughter, gaining the attention of several guests around them. A few minutes later, when they were both just starting to get their breath back, Harry and Ginny walked over hand in hand.

"Are you guys okay?" Harry asked, looking at their red faces and harsh breathing.

They nodded quickly, still gasping for air.

"You both look a bit red in the face." Ginny frowned. "And breathless..."

Harry started at Ginny's word, staring at them in horror. "You weren't, you know... _snogging_ were you?" He whispered the word _'snogging'_ in an almost disgusted voice.

This only made the pair start laughing again, both remembering their earlier conversation about Hermione being in love with Ron when she was younger. Ginny and Harry were both very confused, but decided to wait for them to calm down before asking further questions. It took a few more minutes, but they finally began to breath normally again.

"What was so funny?" Ginny asked.

"And what was wrong before?" Harry added hurriedly.

"Look at them Harry." Ginny told him, rolling her eyes. "Describe them."

"Ah, they're both a bit red, and having trouble breathing." He frowned, not seeing Ginny's point.

"They look exactly like they did when we showed up." She informed him, waiting for the light bulb to go off.

Hermione, Ginny and Ron all waited expectantly for him to click.

"Oh... you were laughing." He _finally_ understood.

"Yes we were." Hermione smiled at her two other best friends.

"Why?" Ginny asked them.

"Marjorie." Ron said, chuckling again, struggling to keep his laughter under control. "Mione was telling me about how you were the one to hex her laces together-" He cut himself off with another fit of laughter.

"And then he told me that she fell onto the coffee table and broke her nose!" Hermione finished just before she too had another laughing fit.

Ginny stood there in shock that her brother was actually laughing at his girlfriend's expense. Harry, however, also started laughing as he was there when the incident took place and only just managed to keep from falling over. Grabbing onto a bar stool for support, he tugged Ginny over to him and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Ron..." Ginny started with a frown when he, Harry and Hermione had finally calmed down. "Why were you laughing at Marjorie? I thought you _'loved'_ her."

"I do." He answered sincerely. "But she doesn't love me. I doubt she ever will."

Both Harry and Ginny stared at him in shock. "Excuse me?" Ginny blinked.

"Mione made me see reason." He smiled thankfully at her.

Ginny leapt into her friend's arms and began kissing all over her face. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She squealed.

"Ew! Gin, get off." Hermione giggled, pushed her gently back into Harry's waiting arms. "Did you really hate her that much?"

"_So_ much worse than Phlegm." She told them. "I swear, one more word about teen pregnancy and I'd have used an Unforgivable."

"She was saying _what_ about your pregnancy?" Harry asked her angrily, tightening his grasp.

"Nothing to worry about, Harry." She smiled. "She's gone now, right, Ron?"

"Er..." He looked down uncomfortably.

"You didn't dump her, did you?" Ginny sighed.

"He will tomorrow." Hermione said.

"Definitely." He nodded.

"Good, now, let's go see Luna and Neville before they run off anywhere." Ginny giggled, taking Harry by the hand hurrying off to find them.

Hermione and Ron followed closely behind them, finding the newlyweds after only a moment.

"Luna!" Ginny and Hermione hugged her for possibly the seventeenth or eighteenth time that night.

Harry and Ron gave Neville manly claps on the back whilst wishing him congratulations again. After a long goodbye, they finally realised how late it was said goodbye to Ron too.

"Night Mione." He said, giving her a hug. "Good luck with Sirius."

The last part he whispered in her ear, not allowing anyone else to hear. It made her a little red, and a little sad, but she swallowed her emotions and smiled. Once all necessary farewells were over, Harry, Ginny and Hermione apparated back to Grimmauld Place with Remus, Tonks and Teddy, assuming Sirius had already returned.

After goodnights were said, Hermione retired to her room, pulling off her dress and carefully hanging it in her closet. She put on a comfortable nightie, the bottom of which almost always ended up pooling around her waist when she woke up. Not that it mattered, really, it was comfortable and no one was going to see her.

As she began to drift off to sleep, she had a thought. She remembered Ron's words to her _'Good luck with Sirius.'_ He'd said, but how did he know? She hadn't told him.

_Could he know? Is it really that obvious?_

Suddenly she was wide awake, her mind filling with possibilities of why he knew. But did he even know? She couldn't be sure, he could've meant any number of things by that comment.

She sighed, it was going to be a long night.


	5. Tears, Tactics and Tender Hearts

**A/N: I know the chapters are getting shorter, but I just don't want to make you guys wait too long for each new chapter. I hope you like this one and I always love getting reviews :] Thank you to everyone who already has.**

* * *

The next morning, Hermione was lucky enough to witness Sirius' play-toy from the previous night exiting his room to use the bathroom.

"Hey, you were one of Luna's bridesmaids, weren't you?" The girl asked her as they passed.

"Yeah." She answered, continuing to walk down the stairs.

"Do you think you could point me to the bathroom?" Luna's cousin asked. "I remember Siri telling me it was two doors down, but I can't remember if he said left or right."

Hermione cringed at her calling him Siri, she knew he hated that. Suddenly, she had an idea and an evil grin broke out on her features.

"It's the door to your right." Hermione smirked slightly.

"Thanks." The girl in her mid twenties answered.

Hermione's smirk widened and she hid around the corner, waiting.

Three screams rung out in unison around the residence of Twelve Grimmauld Place. Two very high-pitched, one a bit deeper.

Her smirk widened even more and she continued down the stairs for breakfast.

"What exactly made that horrible sound? Remus asked as Hermione walked into the kitchen.

"No idea."

"Then what's with the smirk?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't know what you're talking about, Moony." She used his Marauders name. "Really, I don't."

He sighed. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"That would be lovely."

They ate their breakfast peacefully, being the only two up, before a chuckling Harry and a very frazzled looking Ginny came down the stairs.

"What an earth is the matter, Ginny?" Remus asked worriedly.

"She- us- bathroom-" Ginny stuttered, shivering at the memory and snuggling closer to Harry's chest.

"Harry?" Remus asked.

"One of Luna's cousins walked into our room this morning, thinking it was the bathroom." Harry said, trying not to laugh when he looked at Ginny's face.

"What's wrong with that?" Remus frowned.

"We we're..." He trailed off, an expectant look on his face, hoping to avoid actually saying it.

"Oh..." Remus looking away, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

While he was turning his head away form the embarrassed couple in front of him, he noticed Hermione smirk had turned a great deal wickeder. He gave her a look, but she merely smiled innocently and sipped at her Earl Grey. Shaking his head at her, he realised just how evil his former student really was. He also realised in that moment, that Hermione was going to fight for Sirius, and not give up. Ever.

Hermione had done a lot of thinking the night before. She decided that she didn't care if every living person in the whole bloody world figured out she was in love with Sirius, but she was going to make him realise. She knew they were perfect for each other, that night in the library said it all. She didn't want to force him to love her, no, she couldn't live like that. She was going to show him. She was going to make sure that no other woman could ever steal his heart. She wouldn't be able to live if one did. She'd given her heart to him, and she sure as Hell wasn't going to let some bimbo in a short skirt take his. She needed it. It was what kept her sane, even if it wasn't hers yet, she still had hope. She still had a tiny portion that he'd given her on that night.

She was going to fight her arse off for the man she loved, and hoped to Merlin that he'd realise how she felt soon enough. Telling him just wasn't an option, she'd tried that, and somewhere deep, deep down, she knew he'd heard. Even it was only his subconscious, part of him knew. She just needed him to listen to that part of himself.

* * *

"Hermione?" Tonks called after knocking on Hermione's bedroom door.

"Come in." She replied, not looking up from her book.

"Remus and I are going out, could you babysit Teddy for us?"

"I'd love too!" Hermione jumped up happily.

"Thank you so much! We owe you." The older witch hugged her.

"Don't worry about it, you know I love playing with him. He's so adorable!" She squealed, running off to find him.

He was in the living room with Harry and Ginny.

"Teddy!" She picked him up off the ground and spun him around in circles. "Auntie Hermione's going to look after you tonight while Mummy and Daddy are out. 'Kay, Bubby?"

Harry and Ginny smiled at how affectionate she was towards him.

"You'd make a great mother Hermione. You need to find a nice guy and get pregnant!" Ginny told her, laughing at her own audacity. "You'd be a much better mother than me."

"Gin, you're a Weasley, you're practically _made_ to be a mother." Hermione told her friend. "I'm sure you'll be great."

"You're just so good with Teddy... so natural. He's never really taken to me like he has to you."

"Ginny! Stop being so pessimistic!" Hermione scolded.

"Bu-bu-but I'm going to be a terrible mother!" She started sobbing dramatically.

_'Another bloody mood swing?'_ Hermione was shocked. It was at least the fourth today. She just thanked Merlin she wasn't Harry, having to settle her down all the time.

"Shh, it's okay, baby. You'll be amazing, I know you will. You can trust me." Harry assures her.

"I WANT MY MUMMY!" She cried in a shrill voice.

"Okay, Gin. We'll go to The Burrow, we'll go and see Molly." Harry sighed. "Is that okay, Mione? Do you mind us leaving?"

"It's fine Harry, just go." Hermione answered, trying to quieten Teddy's cries that had started when Ginny started sobbing.

Hermione wasn't looking forward to being home alone with Sirius and possibly Luna's cousin. She half hoped the girl had already left so she wouldn't have to put up with her, but also wanted to make her even more uncomfortable and drive her away herself.

_That would be fun._ Hermione thought to herself, smirking at the idea.

Before she knew it, Remus, Tonks, Harry and Ginny had all left and she was alone with Teddy in the living room. Sirius and Luna's cousin were probably still in his room. The mere thought of what could be happening made her heart ache.

Turning her attention back to Teddy, she spent the rest of the day entertaining him. That is, until Sirius and his play-toy came downstairs in the late afternoon.

"Hey, love. Where's everyone else?" Sirius asked, his arm around Luna's cousin.

"Tonks and Remus went out and Harry took Ginny to The Burrow after she started crying and yelling that she wanted 'her mummy'." Hermione answered, barely glancing up from Teddy, who was currently sitting between her legs playing with a toy car.

"Another mood swing?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She nodded, sighing sadly.

She looked up in time to see Luna's cousin cling to Sirius, glaring at her.

"Oh, Hermione, this is Abby, Abby, this is Hermione." He introduced them.

"Hello." Hermione said as nicely as she could, resisting the urge to launch herself at the annoyingly gorgeous girl and beat the Hell out of her, or, slap her at least.

"Hmph." The girl, now known as Abby, said, turning her nose up at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to playing with Teddy.

"Siri, she's the one that told me to go into the pregnant girl's room." Abby whined.

"Hermione, is that true? Did you tell her to go into Harry and Ginny's room?"

"No, why on earth would I do that?" Hermione looked up at him innocently.

"Don't listen to her, Siri! She's lying! She sent me in there on purpose! I asked if it was left or right and she said it was the one to my right!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I meant _my_ right, not _your_ right." Hermione said. "I am terribly sorry for the misunderstanding and I hope you will forgive me."

"Forgive you? You made me walk in on a pregnant girl having sex! It should be outlawed for Merlin's sake, it was disgusting! Seeing her fat belly get-" She has cut of by Hermione's fist colliding with her face.

"Don't you _ever_ talk about Ginny like that again." Hermione's face was flushed and she was panting slightly in her anger. "Or anyone else for that matter."

"You bitch! Seeing her like that was almost as bad as it would've if I'd walked in on someone like you! All frumpy and gross looking. God, I guess I'm kind of thankful now, that it was just a pregnant girl and not someone horrible and ugly like you."

Without a second thought, Hermione picked up the now crying Teddy and took him into her room, wanting to slam the door in her rage, but stopped herself for Teddy's sake.

_How dare she talk about Ginny like that? And I am NOT frumpy? Am I? Oh Merlin, what if I am? How could anyone be so mean? There's no way she's related to Luna, it's just not possible!_

Once Teddy had stopped crying, she put him on her bed and started pacing. She held the tears back as long as she could, but after a while she just could control them.

* * *

Back in the living room, Sirius was trying to calm down the witch that was now in tears in front of him.

"That bitch! How dare she hit me! Who does she think she is, just punching me like that?" Abby went on, but Sirius wasn't listening.

His mind was set on Hermione's face just before she stormed out of the room, her breathing ragged and face a dark shade of red. She looked just like she did that night in the library. He sighed as he played over the memories in his head again.

"SIRIUS!" Abby yelled for the fourth time.

"Huh?" That made him go back to reality.

"Are you even listening to me?" She looked angry, like Hermione did.

Even with her panting and flushed, the thought of shagging her didn't even enter his brain.

"I think you should go now. Nice to meet you." He said, taking her arm and half-leading, half-pulling her to the door. "Goodbye."

He shut the door in the middle of her screaming. He had really begun to hate that girl, even if he had only met her last night. Deciding he should go and check on Hermione to apologise for what Abby said, he began climbing the stairs to her room.

"Hermione?" He asked in a soft voice, knocking gently on her door.

"What?" He heard her sniff.

_Is she crying?_

"Can I come in?" He was speaking so quietly it could almost be classified as whispering.

With another sniff, the door opened, revealing a wet faced, puffy eyed Hermione.

"What do you want?" She asked pathetically, wiping her face.

"I know it probably won't help, but I'm sorry for what she said. She really shouldn't have, about you or Ginny." He apologised.

"You're right, it doesn't help." She sniffed again, wiping her nose with her sleeve.

"Hermione, I'm sorry, I really am." His eyes were begging her to believe him.

"Where is she now?" Hermione looked both ways down the hallway suspiciously.

"She's gone. I told her to leave. I won't let anyone say things like that about you." He looked at her pleadingly. "Or Ginny." He added quickly.

"It's okay, I guess it wasn't really your fault. You didn't know she was going to say things like that." Hermione was about to shut the door, but his arm reached out to stop it.

"And Hermione?" She looked up at him. "Nice punch."

He walked back to his room happy that he'd at least made her smile.

Once he left, Hermione began worrying. If she really was horrible looking and frumpy, maybe that was why Sirius didn't treat her any different, maybe if she were prettier she would have a better chance of winning his heart. If she was gorgeous and sexy like all those other girls he liked, maybe she would have a chance, no matter how slim.

So, that's what she decided, she'd dress sexier and wear some makeup, maybe even go out sometimes. There was that new club in Diagon Alley that she could go to, she just had to find someone to go with. Maybe she could convince Ginny to go with her, but she doubted Harry would approve of that. Ron might go with her, he was, hopefully, single by now, and he needed a nice witch.

She sighed. Why him? Why did she have to fall in love with _him?_


	6. The Talk and Preparations

The next morning Sirius cornered Remus in the library. He needed more than ever to talk to him about Hermione. After yesterday, he was certain he had feelings for the young witch, it was all he could do not to punch Abby before she did. He hated her talking about Hermione like that, she wasn't any of those things, Hell, she had a better body than Abby did herself.

When he'd gone up to her room, he felt his heart ache when she heard her sniffs and it was even worse when he saw her. Those beautiful eyes shouldn't ever have tears filling them and turning them red. He had wanted to comfort her, to take her in his arms and hold her for an eternity, but he knew she wouldn't let him.

He needed to talk to him now, because Hermione was currently visiting Ron at The Burrow about something.

"I need to talk to you." He told Remus, who was currently sitting on one of the old, beaten down couches in the library.

"What about?" His friend frowned.

Sirius paused a moment. "Feelings." He shivered slightly at just mentioning the word.

Remus raised an eyebrow, but patted the seat next to him. "Whose feelings?"

"Mine." Sirius answered, sighing and slumping onto the couch next to his old friend.

"Tell me."

"Well, uh, we slept together a few weeks ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since. She's just different. I can't get her out of my head, Moony."

"So, what do you want help with?"

"I don't know what to do." He answered truthfully, looking at his hands.

"Well, why don't you tell her?" Remus offered.

"What? Are you mental? She'd never like me." Sirius sighed.

"She slept with you, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but that was only after some convincing."

"Convincing?" Remus had raised an eyebrow again.

"God, you're going to hate me after this."

"Tell me, Sirius." His tone was less than impressed.

"She told me to stop. Multiple times, actually." He looked down guiltily. "But I knew she didn't mean it. I knew she just needed some-"

"Convincing." Remus cut in, finishing for him.

"Yeah."

Silence filled the library for a few minutes.

"I know you're disappointed, but I don't think I could've stopped myself." Sirius was still looking down.

"If she said no, Sirius, then you raped her."

"No." He shook his head, hating himself at the mere thought of raping her. "I- she- God, I'm such an idiot."

"I have to agree with you on this one." Remus sighed. "You said she was different, how?"

"She's just not my type, but she's perfect." He told his friend.

"Why don't you just tell her?"

"Because I know she doesn't feel the same way about me."

"Why does it matter if she doesn't? You'll never know until you tell her."

"I just couldn't face her again if I told her and she didn't feel the same way, which I know she doesn't." Sirius said.

"So you will face her again. How well do you know this girl?"

"Quite well."

"What's your type?" Remus asked.

"Uh, blonde, usually. Tall, curvy, sexy, confident. Normally pretty thick too."

Remus let this information sink in before he replied. "And you want my help?"

"Yes. Moony, you've had feelings before, you're married for Merlin's sake. Tell me what I need to do, please." He was almost begging at this point.

"You need to tell her. If she doesn't feel the same way, then at least you'll know, and you can stop beating yourself up about it."

"But she hates me." He complained.

"Sirius, if it's anyone I know, she doesn't hate you."

"How can you be so sure?" He asked his friend.

"Because no one I know hates you."

"She may not show it every day, but I'm sure she does." Sirius sighed. "And besides, she loves someone else."

_Hmm... so he sees her every day? Maybe he is talking about Hermione?_ Remus thought to himself.

"How do you know?"

"I heard her talking to- uh, someone about it. She said she was in love."

"How do you know she wasn't talking about you?"

"Why would she be?" Sirius asked pathetically.

"Maybe she loves _you_, ever thought about that?"

"No." He said, feeling sorry for himself.

"Come on Padfoot." He used his old Marauder name to boost his confidence. "Where's all that Gryffindor courage run off to? You've never been like this before. You used to be so confident around women."

"Yeah, when I was her age." He mumbled, hoping Remus wouldn't hear him.

He didn't let on that he had heard his friend's comment, but he had. He was even more confident that Sirius was falling for the young girl now.

"You just need to tell her. If she says she feels the same, then I'm happy for you. If she says she doesn't, then you'll know how you made every girl you've slept with feel."

Sirius sighed. "I guess you're right, Moony old mate. As usual."

"So?"

"So what?" Sirius frowned.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to tell her."

"Good." Remus smiled. "I wish you the best of luck, but I have a feeling you'll be just fine."

"Thanks. I mean it, Moony. You've really helped me out. If there's a wedding, you'll definitely be invited." Sirius joked.

"I'd hope so." Remus chuckled.

"If you're lucky, you might even be my best man." Sirius told him from where he was now standing in the doorway.

"I'll be looking forward to it."

"You better."

With that, Sirius left the room in a better mood than he entered in. He just hoped Hermione did love him and not some other moron.

* * *

"Please, Ron?" Hermione begged him.

"I don't know, Mione." He shook his head at her.

"Please, please, please? It would make me really happy. You and Harry have both said I need to get out more, I just need someone to come with me."

"I'd say yes, but I've only just broken up with Marjie, I'm not sure if I feel up to it."

She pouted at him, her eyes big and looking at him pleadingly. "Come on, what's a better way to get over her than to come out with me? Please?"

"If I say yes-"

She cut him off. "_When_ you say yes."

"_If_ I say yes, where would we be going?" Ron asked her.

"That new club in Diagon Alley, what's it called again?" She screwed up her features as she tried to remember the name.

"_'Liquify'_?" He suggested.

"Yes! Yes! That's the one!" She grinned.

He was still looking at her skeptically.

"Oh, come on, Ron. You know you want to come."

"Fine." He mumbled.

"Thank you!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "You have no idea how much this means to me!"

"Well, you owe me." He grumbled.

She squealed in a totally un-Hermioneish manner and bounced up and down in her seat.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" She asked him excitedly.

"No, we can go tonight." He sighed.

"Yay! Thank you, Ron!" She hugged him again. "Meet me at Grimmauld Place at nine so we can apparate together, okay?"

"Sure, Mione. If it'll make you happy." He smiled at her.

She grinned and nodded enthusiastically, excited that this might make Sirius like her more.

"I'll see you tonight, then."

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate you coming with me." She told him.

"Like I said, you owe me." He smiled.

"That I do, now I have to get Ginny to help me figure out what I'm going to wear. Oh sweet Merlin, I don't have any clothes to go clubbing in! I'll have to borrow something of Ginny's, I hope her clothes will fit me. I mean, I've borrowed her clothes before, but that was at Hogwarts and we've both grown since-"

"Mione." He cut her off. "Calm down, I'm sure you'll find something amazing to wear."

"Thanks, Ron." She smiled. "See you later."

"Bye, Mione." He gave her one last hug before she went back to Grimmauld Place to get ready.

* * *

"Ginny!" Hermione yelled into the abnormally quiet house when she returned.

When she didn't receive and answer, she went up the stairs and into the library, where she found Remus.

"Do you know where Ginny is?" She asked hopefully.

"Last I heard, she and Harry were having an argument, then I heard a 'pop' and their bedroom door slamming shut." He told her.

"Oh." She frowned.

"Why do you need her?" He asked.

"I'm going out tonight and I need her help with deciding what to wear."

"Where are you going?"

"That new club in Diagon Alley called _'Liquify'_."

"You aren't going by yourself, are you?" He inquired worriedly.

"I'm going with Ron. Well, not _with_ Ron, but we're going together. Not _together_, but he... Oh, you know what I mean." She sighed.

Remus chuckled. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to decide what to wear later, it's only just passed lunch time."

"I know, but I'll probably have to borrow some of her clothes. None of mine are even remotely... clubby." She was going to say 'sexy', but decided against it.

"I'm sure you'll find something."

"Thanks." She said, exiting the library and going into her room.

Rummaging through her wardrobe, the only thing she found that she could wear was the sexy black lace lingerie the twins had got her for her nineteenth birthday as a joke. But she couldn't just wear that, she needed actual clothes to wear over the top of it. She found a white blouse that she had kept from when she was sixteen that would no doubt be very tight on her now. She tried it on and undid the top four buttons, so a rather large amount of cleavage was showing, along with the top of her lacy bra.

Now all she had to find was a skirt short enough to wear to a club. She had gone through every piece of clothing she owned and the shortest skirt she found finished little more than four inches above her knee. That was nowhere near short enough. She sighed, changed into her usual baggy jeans and a t-shirt and went back into the library to read until Ginny was done with Harry.

* * *

"Hey." Ginny smiled, walking into the library and sitting on the couch beside her friend. "Remus said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, I'm going out tonight and I need to borrow some of your clothes."

"Really? You're going out? You, as in Hermione Granger?" She gasped in feigned shock.

"Oh, shut up, Gin. Yes, I am going out. Yes, I am Hermione Granger, and I really need your help."

"Who are you going with?"

"Ron."

"You're dating my brother?" She shouted.

"No, Gin. We're going to that new club in Diagon Alley. He said he'd come with me, we're not going _together_." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Oh." She blushed a little. "Well, okay. Come on then."

"Thank you so much!" Hermione jumped up and hugged her friend. "Can you help me with hair and makeup too?"

"Of course." Ginny smiled, leading them into her and Harry's room. "What have you got so far?"

Hermione explained her current outfit to her best friend and she nodded and sifted through the clothes in her cupboard.

"I got it!" She finally yelled, holding up a pair of skimpy black leather shorts for Hermione's inspection.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed, biting her lip and running back to her own room with the shorts in her hand.

* * *

Eight fifty that night found Hermione standing in front of the mirror in her room, staring in awe at her reflection. There she was, wearing the sexiest thing she had in her life, about to venture into public, and she had never felt better (other than when she was with Sirius, of course). Ginny had given her the perfect makeup for her outfit, her eyes wore heavy eyeliner and mascara with dark grey eye shadow dusted over her lids to give her the 'smoky eye' effect. She had left her hair down, leaving the unruly mass of curls to fall down her back. On her feet were six inch black heels, that she had also borrowed from Ginny.

It was perfect.

"Mione, you look..." Ginny was lost for words, hardly believing what she was seeing. "Harry's going to have a heart attack when he sees you."

This made Hermione smile, looking over herself once more before the pair made their way down into the living room to wait for Ron.

The reactions she got made her choke back a laugh. All eyes were on her as soon as she entered, and all mouths were open. She bit her lip, waiting for one, if not all of them to comment on what she was wearing.

"Hermione?" Harry only just managed to choke out, staring at her in shock.

"Yes, Harry?" She questioned, looking down at him.

"Why the on earth are you dressed like that?" Remus asked her, when Harry couldn't bring himself to say anything else.

"I'm going out tonight." She answered simply, just as Ron apparated into the room.

"What's everyone looking like that for?" He asked the room as a whole, Ginny blocking his view of Hermione.

Ginny shook her head and stepped off to the side, giving him a full view of the very scantily clad form of his best friend. He barely managed out a 'bloody Hell' as his eyes came to rest on the large amount of cleavage she seemed to be showing.

"You're drooling, Ronald." Ginny said in a bored tone, knowing this would happen.

As he snapped out of his shock and wiped his mouth, Hermione turned around and looked directly at Sirius. He was shocked, that much was obvious, but there was something else in his eyes, something that almost looked sad. She knew that it couldn't be true, so she thought nothing of it and turned back to Ron.

"Shall we?" She asked him, while walking over and trying not to trip in the shoes she had stupidly chosen to wear.

He just nodded dumbly, so she took his arm and said goodnight to everyone before apparating away. They arrived just outside the club, and the bouncer let them in after taking a single glance at her. She smiled sweetly and went straight to the bar, Ron trailing behind her. She was feeling adventurous, so she ordered a firewhiskey when she normally would've had a butterbeer.


	7. Liquify

**A/N: Not my best chapter, but I've spent too long trying to fix it. Please keep in mind that I've never been to a club in my life, so I really don't know what they're like.**

* * *

Back at Grimmauld Place, Ginny was smirking and shaking her head at the obviously aroused men in the room that were still staring at the spot Hermione had been before she disapparated.

"Come, Tonks, let's go put Teddy to bed." Ginny offered the older witch, knowing the men would be staring for a good while longer.

Blinking, Remus was bought out of his shock at the mention of his son and left the room sheepishly, trying but failing to hide the hardness in his trousers. He knew he was married and shouldn't find other woman attractive, especially his former student, but she had just looked so amazingly sexy in that outfit. Shaking his head at the still shocked Harry and Sirius, he went up to apologise to his Dora.

Harry couldn't believe what he had seen. He was in denial at the fact the woman standing in front of him moments before was actually one of his best friends, one he'd known since he was eleven. His eyes searched the room, only finding Sirius, whose eyes were as wide as ever and mouth hanging open. Harry stood and went to apologise to his pregnant girlfriend, who hopefully wouldn't have another mood swing and make him sleep on the couch.

Sirius sat in his seat and stared at the place where Hermione had been moments before. He couldn't deny that he was turned on by what she was wearing, but something just wasn't right. The others had obviously not known she had a body like she did, or they wouldn't have been so shocked. They'd gone now, he was alone with his thoughts.

Deciding he'd better go up to his room in case his thoughts were too depressing, he trudged up the stairs. Once safely alone, he let his mind run wild.

_She loves him. Not me. She's going out with him wearing sexy clothes and makeup! I haven't ever seen her wearing makeup before. She doesn't love me. She won't ever love me._

He wished he had done something sooner, then maybe it would be him taking her out instead of Ron. Maybe she would've grown to love him, just like he was growing to love her. There were so many what ifs that he thought his brain was going to explode if he kept thinking about them.

He went to Remus for a sleeping potion that he often used before the full moon when he struggled to get to sleep. It was times like these when he was very thankful his best friend was a werewolf. He fell asleep as soon as he was back in his bed.

* * *

"Pleeease?" Hermione begged him.

"No, Mione. I don't feel like dancing." Ron said, still feeling the effects of his not to simple breakup.

"Come on, I'll take your mind off her." She whispered seductively in his ear.

She had already had at least eight shots of firewhiskey and she had never held alcohol very well. Ron had had the same amount, but he was better with liquor and was a little more sober than she was. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that this was Hermione, his best friend that he hadn't thought of romantically since the Yule Ball in fourth year. He also knew it was the firewhiskey talking, and not actually her. These thoughts, however, were so far at the back of his mind, forced there by the alcohol he's drunk, that he was consciously thinking them. All he saw was this attractive, this _sexy_ woman in front of him, offering to take his mind of things.

She was about to walk away when he caught her hand. "Wait, I'm coming."

"Yay!" She giggled, sounding very unlike herself.

She grabbed his hands and pulled him onto the dance floor before placing them on her waist. The music was loud, getting louder as they made their way closer to the speakers. They danced for long minutes, and boy did they dance. Hands roaming each other's bodies, moving sensually together with the kind of chemistry that only lovers or the closest of friends possessed.

A crowd had formed around them, watching them from a safe distance, cheering them on. They weren't acting drunk, to those who were watching them at least. To their supporters they looked like lovers, lovers with a lot of built up sexual energy that needed releasing. If anyone in the crowd had known them, they would've known immediately that they were indeed intoxicated, there was no other reason for then to be acting the way they were. They were drunk, but they weren't tripping or falling over, they were quite stable, especially with each other's bodies supporting them.

Hermione was having a wonderful time, not fully aware of where she was or what she was doing, but she was enjoying herself. The same couldn't be said for Ron, however, because the way she was moving against him made him painfully aware of both the tightness in his pants and the large crowd watching them. He could only hope that he could hold himself together until they were someplace more private.

When the song finished, the pair were cheered on as they made their way back to the bar to have a celebratory shot of firewhiskey. For the next two hours, their routine was simple; dance, firewhiskey, dance, firewhiskey, dance, firewhiskey. On and on until they were so drunk they couldn't even remember why were at the club in the first place.

"Dance." Hermione said simply, dragging Ron away from the bar and onto the dance floor for possibly the tenth time that night.

She ran her fingers over his chest as they moved, making him bite back a groan. His grasp on her hips tightened and he pulled her closer until she was pressed right up against him and mere inches from his lips. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, briefly remembering exactly who they were before it was pushed to the back of their minds and their lips became fused together. He immediately probed her mouth with his tongue and Hermione opened her mouth for him eagerly, wanting to feel more of him against her.

The crowd cheered louder as the dancing was forgotten and the two best friends kissed each other passionately, even if it was a little sloppy because of the alcohol they'd consumed. Catcalls were made as their hands ran over each other, so completely lost in the other that they forgot all about the public place they were in. When they were forced to pull away from each other to breath, they once more became aware of their surroundings.

Hermione grabbed his arm and they apparated without a second glance back to her room in Grimmauld Place. Only barely sober enough to remember how, she cast the necessary charms on the room and on herself before clothing was shed and skin found skin.

* * *

Sirius woke the next morning with the strange feeling that something wasn't right. He got out of bed and was about to step out of his room when he saw Hermione's bedroom door open. He stepped backwards into his room and waited a few seconds until he heard retreating footsteps before he stepped forward again. He stared in shock as a very confused, boxer-wearing Ron Weasley staggered down the hall to the bathroom.

Slowly, Sirius went back into his room and lay face up on his bed. It was over. She really did love Ron.

* * *

Hermione groaned and tried to swat the hand that was shaking her away. When it didn't relent, she turned over, to where she assumed the owner of the hand to be and opened her eyes. She was met by a very familiar pair of blue eyes and she frowned.

"Ron?" She queried. He nodded. "What are you doing here?"

He looked guilty, she realised as she sat up on her bed, putting a hand against her forehead as it pulsed painfully. As the covers fell, the cool early morning air against her skin made her realise to her horror that she was naked. She squeaked in shock and pulled the covers back around her before taking in the room around her. Clothes were littered around the room, some were hers, but others... She looked back to Ron. The pieces fell into place when she realised he was only wearing his boxers.

She started to shake her head in denial, but found the effects of that particular movement were too painful, so she choked out a simple "No."

She forced herself to keep her eyes on his face as she tried to remember something – _anything – _about what happened last night. She was still trying to engage her memory when she felt the mattress dip beside her knees, indicating Ron had sat down.

"Please tell me you remember something." He spoke for the first time.

"I'm sorry Ron, I don't remember anything." She sighed. "I assume you don't either."

"Not a thing." He confirmed. "But I think we can guess what happened."

"We got drunk, we had sex." She said, taking deep breaths. "Not a problem, people do it all the time, right? It's not like either of us are seeing anyone, it's not a big deal."

She was trying to convince herself that it was okay, rather than Ron.

"Mione, what's wrong?" He asked tenderly.

"I shouldn't have let this happen. I shouldn't have had so much to drink, I know how it affects me." She was holding back tears, he could tell.

"Don't blame yourself, I was there, I should've stopped you drinking. I'm sorry, Mione." He took her hand in his.

"No, it was my idea to go in the first place. You can blame me."

"But I don't. Neither of us should've let things get so out of hand. It was no one's fault." He assured her.

She nodded in acceptance and shifted awkwardly, acutely aware of her lack of clothing. Sure, he would've seen her naked the previous night, but he didn't remember any of it. Sirius was the only other person that had seem her fully naked before. Her heart clenched as she thought of him. She felt like she'd betrayed him in some way, even though they were never actually together, even though he never actually had feelings for her.

Ron watched as a tear slip down her pale cheek and dripped off her chin. He knew there was something more that she wasn't telling him, something important. He wanted to help her, it was the least he could do.

"Tell me." He said, quite suddenly.

"Tell you what?" She frowned, wiping the tear stain off her cheek.

"Why this is effecting you so much. Why you're crying."

She looked down and a few more tears fell. "I can't."

"Were you a virgin?" He asked her nervously, the first thought that had popped into his head.

"No." She shook her head. "You were my second."

"Who was your first?" He asked.

They talked about these things all the time when they were at Hogwarts, so it wasn't a big thing for him to ask. She already knew that Lavender Brown had taken his virginity. But she wasn't sure if she _could_ tell him, regardless of if she wanted to.

"Si-" She cut herself off with a sob at just trying to say his name.

"It begins with 'S'?" Ron asked, and she nodded in reply. "Seamus Finnegan?"

She let out a strangled laugh and shook her head.

"Who else do I know that begins with an 'S'?" He asked himself with a thoughtful expression. "Sam? Do I know a Sam? Simon? S...nape?" His eye widened as he turned to her. "Was it Snape?"

She couldn't hold it in, she burst out laughing and had to put a hand on his shoulder to stop from falling out of bed.

"No, Ron." She managed through her fits of giggles.

"It was all I could think of." He defended himself, although he too was having trouble keeping the laughter at bay.

He thought for a while longer, before he came up with another name. He knew from the moment it entered his mind that he was right. The way they looked at each other, the way she blushed and gave him a sad smile when he wished her luck with him.

"Sirius." He said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

She nodded. _Maybe he does know?_

"How?" Was all she asked him, but he knew what she meant.

"It's obvious, Mione. The way you look at him. The way he looks at you."

"What do you mean the way he looks at me?" She snapped her head over to look at him.

"Longingly. I only noticed it at Luna and Neville's wedding."

"He looks at me like that?" Her eyebrows were scrunched up.

"Of course." Ron was beginning to get confused. "Why wouldn't he?"

She simply shook her head, looking into space. "You should go before Molly realises you never got back last night."

"I better get dressed then." He sighed.

She turned away from him and allowed what he had said moments earlier to fill her mind. _Does he really look at me like that? No, he couldn't, that would mean he'd actually have feelings for me, which he doesn't._

"Hermione." Ron bought her out of her thoughts. "I'm going now."

"Oh, um, okay." She looked over to him. "I'd get up and hug you, but..."

He nodded in understanding, she was still naked under those covers.

"Bye." He smiled slightly.

"Bye." She echoed.

He apparated from within the room, not wanting to be seen by anyone in the house.

Hermione sighed and went to have a shower.


	8. Remus' Meddling

**A/N: Sorry this took so long everyone.**

* * *

"Where's Sirius?" Hermione asked after dinner.

"I think he's still in his room, I didn't see him get up." Remus answered.

"I wonder if he's sick, do you think I should go and check on him?" She wondered.

"Hermione, why are you so worried?" He asked. "I know how you feel about him, but he might just need a bit of time alone, seeing you like that last night must've been a bit of a shock."

"I guess so. I still can't believe Tonks thought Ron and I were going on a date, that's just insane."

"Well, you were all dressed up, and then Ron came, what did you expect her to think?" He asked.

"I don't know, she should know me well enough by now to know that I wouldn't be interested in him that way." She said, just as a realisation hit her. "What if Sirius thinks I was actually going out with him? What if he thinks I got all dressed up for Ron and not him?"

"You dressed like that because of Sirius?"

"Oh. Um, yes. I thought if I acted more like the women he normally brings home, I might have a better chance with him." She blushed, her idea sounding stupid even to her.

After a moment of silence, he spoke. "On second thought, maybe you should go and check on him, he said he wasn't feeling very well last night."

"Really? Oh, I'll go and see if he needs anything. He must be hungry." She said, hurrying out of the library.

Remus grinned a very Marauder-like grin and followed her soundlessly down the hall. He watched as she knocked and slowly entered the room after Sirius said something he couldn't quite make out. When the door closed behind her, he crept up and whispered a locking and anti-apparition charms on the room, hoping that one of them would have the guts to admit their feelings before they starved to death.

"Sirius? Are you okay?" Hermione asked through the door after knocking softly. When she didn't get an answer, she tried again. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." She heard his muffled voice answer.

She opened the door and stepped inside slowly, squinting to see in the darkness of his room.

"Why have you been in here all day?" She asked into the blackness. "And why are the lights off?"

"I've been in here all day, because I didn't want to talk to anyone. And the lights are off because I didn't want to see anything."

As he said this, the lights turned on and she saw that he was to her left by the light switch. She also noticed that he was only wearing a pair of black pyjama pants, leaving his tattooed chest open for her to drool over.

"I can leave, if you want." She said, sensing his bad mood.

"No, you can stay, I don't know why you would want to though." He said bitterly, walking over to his bed and sitting on the edge.

"I'm worried about you, is that a bad thing?" She asked, walking closer to him. "You haven't eaten all day."

He muttered something inaudible and refused to look at her.

"Sirius, please tell me why you're hiding in here."

"'I'm not hiding!" He growled, his eyes flashing with anger as he finally looked up at her.

"Then why have you been in here all day? If you're not hiding, then please enlighten me!" She said loudly, becoming frustrated.

"I just didn't want to see anyone!" He shouted in reply, his mood worsened because the one person he had least wanted to talk to was in his room with him.

"And why not? You have no problem seeing us any other day!" She raised her voice to meet the level of his.

"I just didn't want to, okay!" He jumped up from the bed and stood towering over her small frame.

"No, it's not okay! We're your friends, Sirius, we help you when things go wrong, you don't need to hide from us!"

"For the last time, Hermione, I am _not_ hiding!" He yelled, stepping forward.

"Oh that's right, you just don't want to be around us!" Hermione took a step backwards as a safety precaution while she said this.

Sirius growled, slowly walking towards her. She wanted to stand her ground, but she was a lot smaller than him, and, well, she was scared. It didn't take long for him to have her backed up against the wall.

"I feel like shit, I look like shit, I'm acting like a moron, and I didn't want anyone to have to deal with me." He said in a dangerously calm growl.

"Why are you in such a bad mood?" She asked softly, feeling obliged to speak as quietly as him.

"I don't want to talk about it." He muttered, stepping back and looking away.

"Why not?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" He yelled in a booming voice, snapping his head back in her direction with a snarl.

She was almost shaking from being in the position she was. Yes, she was scared, yes, she was surprised by how he was acting, but she was also very aroused and she could smell the wetness in her underwear. She was sure it wouldn't take long for him to smell her too, and when that happened she knew she'd have a lot of explaining to do.

"I - I'm sorry." She stuttered, her body pressed into the wall by his and his face inches from hers.

He took in the shocked and slightly afraid look on Hermione's face and felt guilty for yelling at her. But he could see something else in her eyes, an almost glazed look that he was sure he'd seen before. He pulled back, sighing slightly and moved over to his bed, sitting on the edge with his back facing her. His breathing was ragged from being in such a close proximity to her, and he felt his body starting to react. He tried to calm himself down, while not looking in the direction of the young witch still standing against his wall.

Hermione was watching him curiously, trying to figure out what was making him so moody. Deciding the best thing to do would be to leave, she started walking slowly over so she was standing on the other side of his bed, looking at his muscular back.

"Um, I'm going to give you some time alone." She said in a hushed, gentle voice.

When he didn't reply, she let out a soft puff of breath and walked over to the door. She tried to open it, but the door wouldn't budge. She frowned and tried harder, but it still wouldn't work. Glancing over at the muscles his lack of clothing was showing, she decided she needed to ask for his help.

"Sirius?" She called timidly across to him.

He could hear the worry and embarrassment in her voice and decided to see what was wrong. He turned to face her and caught his breath when he noticed her bottom lip being chewed nervously between her teeth.

He gulped. "Yes?"

"I can't get the door to open." She said quietly, looking at the floor.

"Oh?" He frowned, moving closer to see if it really wouldn't open.

After a few tries, he fetched his wand from the nightstand and checked for any spells that would prevent them from leaving the room. He groaned as he realised a very strong and complicated locking charm was keeping them inside.

"I can't get out, can I?" She asked him with worry hanging at each word.

"No, you can't." He answered, sliding down the wall and leaning his back against it.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"I've never seen a locking spell as complicated as that one before, maybe you have, you could check it, if you wanted."

"I don't have my wand." She said miserably. "Why would someone lock us in here?"

"No idea."

"Who would know a spell that complicated?"

"Remus."

"Why wou-" She cut herself off as she realised that he knew about her feelings for Sirius. "Oh, he is so dead once I get out of here and get my wand back."

"So, you know why he'd want to lock you in here?"

Sirius had thought Remus had figured out it was Hermione he was talking about locked her in his room with him so he'd have a chance to tell her how he felt, but apparently Hermione had a different option.

"Um, yeah." She blushed a little.

"Why?"

"It's, uh, it's not important." She said, sitting against that wall beside him.

They sat in silence for a moment before Hermione spoke again.

"How long do you think he'll leave us in here?"

"I really don't know." He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling before, I was just a bit angry."

"Why were you angry?"

"For not doing what I had to do early enough."

"Do what?" She asked.

"That's not important. I have no chance with it now."

They sat in silence for longer, Sirius, this time, being the one to break it.

"So, you and Ron? When did that happen?" He couldn't resist asking.

"There is no 'me and Ron', Sirius. He's my best friend, nothing more." She laughed a little.

"Really? What about last night?"

"What do you mean 'what about last night'? Nothing happened, we simply went out together, as friends." She said in one rushed breath.

"Then why did you get all dressed up?"

"I wanted to feel sexy." Her face heated up as she said this.

"God, Hermione, you should always feel sexy." He told her.

"Why? It's not like I am when I wear these." She muttered, gesturing to the plain white blouse and knee length woollen skirt she was wearing.

"Of course you are. Don't let anyone make you think otherwise."

She kept looking down in the hopes he wouldn't see the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

"If there's nothing between the two of you, then why was he here this morning?" He asked after a moment.

"How do you know he was here?"

"I saw him going to the bathroom." He said. "In his boxers."

"Oh." Her voice was small and her face heated up.

"So, there is something?"

"No, we were drunk, we didn't know what we were doing. Neither of us remember anything."

She bit her lip to stop the tears falling. She had just admitted to sleeping with her best friend to the man she loved, and to top it all off she couldn't even run away. He placed his hand over hers and she broke, salty tears rolling down her cheeks as she remembered all the times he'd touched her that night. Even though it had been weeks, she could recall every second, every amazing, perfect second of the night her innocence was taken. She was glad, in a way, that it had happened, that the man she had so easily grown to love had taken it from her. But it had caused her so much pain, both physical and emotional. Most of it had been emotional, though, most was _still_ emotional. The pain she felt in her heart every time she looked at him had outlasted the pain she felt in her body for a couple of days.

It hurt her more than she ever thought it would just being in the same room with him, especially as he was dressed the way he was. Her body knew what it wanted and was reacting accordingly. Her heart knew what it wanted and was beating rapidly in her chest. Her brain knew what both her body and heart wanted, but refused to give in. She wouldn't let that happen again, not after everything she had to go through because of the first time, doing it a second would just make everything worse.

Sirius watched as the tears dripped down her cheeks and off her chin. At that point, the only thing he wanted to do was stop her crying. He forgot about everything that had happened between them and simply pulled her into his arms, letting her cry onto his bare shoulder. The sensations of her cheek pressed against his bare skin brought back memories of her kissing his chest in the library that night, of her timid tongue tracing over every one of his tattoos.

He sucked in a deep breath and tried his very best to control his body. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and in doing do, pressed her breasts against his chest. Gulping, he thought about the Final Battle and all the bodies littering the ground in the hopes his body would calm down before she felt the effect she had on him.

"Hermione." He said softly, his warm breath gently displacing her hair.

She lifted her head from his chest and sniffed feebly, wiping her cheeks dry. Her lip started to tremble just from looking at him, from remembering everything. The memories were a lot worse now, being alone with him, being so close to him, sitting in his lap.

"Why are you crying?" He whispered.

Her head lowered. She knew she couldn't tell him. He was the reason she was crying, the reason she felt so guilty for sleeping with Ron. She shook her head slowly, hoping he would get the message.

"Come on." He said, standing with her still in his arms. "You should sleep."

He carried her over to his bed and lowered her gently onto it. She smiled weakly at him and curled up in his large bed, pulling the covers up under her chin. He watched as she drifted slowly into sleep, looking so peaceful and relaxed.

Sighing, he realised that he needed to tell her how he felt about her before he really did lose her to some other wizard. Maybe she did love him? He had entertained the idea many times before, but decided it just wasn't possible. What would she want with him? She was the complete opposite of him, young, smart, absolutely beautiful, with a great future set out in front of her. He was near twice her age, had spent over half of her life in Azkaban, had no plans for the future and had no career, what could be appealing about that? Not to mention they had totally different views on life, they fought almost everyday because of it. He decided that no, she couldn't possibly love him. But maybe she would give him a chance, maybe she would fall in love with him in time. He just had to tell her. There was no question about it, he would tell her when she woke up.

This thought had him looking over at the young witch asleep in his bed again. A smile found its way onto his face as he watched her sleep, her lips parted slightly and her chest rising and falling with each deep, sleepy breath she took.


	9. To Say What Needs to be Said

Sirius had gone to sleep shortly after Hermione, staying as far away from her as was possible and forcing himself not to wrap her up in his arms. When he awoke, however, she _was_ wrapped up in his arms. Sleeping soundly with her head on his chest, arm wrapped around him and leg draped over his hip, she looked like an angel. He stared down at her for a moment, blinking rapidly, trying to comprehend if she was really there or if he was still asleep and dreaming of her. When she shifted against him and murmured something into his chest, causing her lips to brush over his skin, he was sure it was real. None of his dreams ever felt as good as reality.

He knew he should wake her, or at least try to move away, but he couldn't. For that moment she was his, really his, or at least he could pretend she was. He didn't want to ruin that. For now, he could hold her and pretend everything was perfect, that he was brave enough to tell her how he felt. That she had proclaimed her love for him and they were as happy as they could be. And, that she was _knowingly_ cuddled up to his side, rather than doing it whilst asleep and having no clue what was happening.

Sighing, he tightened his arms around her waist and kept trying to convince himself he could tell her how he felt. He kept telling himself it was easy, he only had to say a few words, just a few, small words. But they had so much meaning behind them, such a long, complicated story that he would have to explain afterwards. Not that it mattered, he would happily explain if she asked him to. He would do anything she asked him to, he realised in that moment. Hell, he'd probably kill for her if she asked it of him, even though he knew she never would, she was too kind.

He looked down at her perfect sleeping face again and smiled, inhaling her scent. He fought back a chuckle as he recognised the main smell in her hair to be that same as that of the Grimmauld Place library; old books. There was also a faint vanilla smell; sweet, but not overpoweringly so. It was perfect. Everything about her was perfect, even her smell.

He was caught off guard when she groaned slightly and shifted again, her hand tensing and nails digging slightly into his skin for a moment. When her breathing started to become less regular, he realised she was waking and steadied his own to give the impression he was still asleep.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open and she tried to stretch, as she did most mornings, but became acutely aware of a warm body pressed to hers. Her whole body tensed and her eyes widened as she tried to remember how she could've got into the position she was in. Very carefully, she pulled her head back to identify the body, but as soon as his tattooed chest came into view, she knew it was him and let out a startled squeak, jumping back and 'waking' Sirius in the process.

The first thing Hermione did was look down at herself, making sure she was still clothed. After seeing his bare torso, she worried that she would also be naked, but she wasn't, and sighed in relief when she realised. She sat up and looked to her left to see him doing the same thing, more of his chest being exposed as the covers fell to his lap. Biting her lip, she gazed at his chest, staring intently at the tattoos and the few small scars that made it all the more mesmerizing.

"Good morning, Hermione." Sirius said, chuckling when she jumped and looked up at his face, blushing.

"Morning, Sirius." She whispered, getting out of his bed and walking over to try the door again. "Still locked."

"I expected as much." He sighed.

"What are we going to do? You haven't eaten in ages, you must be starving."

"I'll be fine."

"No, you won't. You didn't eat all of yesterday, you need food." She told him sternly.

"And how are we going to get food?"

That question stumped her. "I don't know." She answered honestly, shaking her head.

She walked back and sat defeatedly on the edge of his bed, facing away from him. Sirius got the impression she wasn't used to not knowing things. He didn't quite know what to do. She reminded him of Remus, when they were still at Hogwarts, after he did badly in a test, but it had always been James' job to make him feel better, not his. He really wasn't good at being comforting, all he every managed to achieve was make the person feel worse than they had to begin with.

Before he had the chance to say or do anything, there was a knock on the door. He and Hermione glanced at each other before making a mad dash to the door.

"Hello?" Hermione called tentatively to the person on the other side.

"Hermione?" Came Harry's shocked voice. "What are you doing in there?"

"Uh..." She bit her lip, knowing that he wouldn't believe anything she told him.

"Could you tell Remus we'd like to talk to him?" Sirius asked his Godson.

"Sure..." Even through the door they could tell he was frowning.

"Thank you, Harry." Hermione said appreciatively, willing him to leave and fetch the older man for them.

She shifted nervously from one foot to the other as his footsteps reseeded, her heart beating a little quicker than usual. Sirius was frozen in place, staring, waiting for Remus to come and let them out, or at least bring food and water. Soft thuds could be heard below them, indicating someone ascending the stairs. The thuds got louder as Remus (well, they hoped it was him) got closer to Sirius' room. There was a soft knock on the wood in front of them and they both stilled for a moment, before answering.

"Remus?" Hermione's soft, worried voice questioned.

"Yes, what I can I do for you?" He answered, as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

"For starters you can tell us why you locked us in here." Sirius answered angrily.

"You already know why, Padfoot. Don't even pretend that you don't."

"But why am I in here too?" Hermione asked, casting a confused glance at Sirius.

"Hermione, Hermione, Hermione, I think you already know the answer to that."

She huffed in annoyance, glaring at the door. "When will you let us out?"

"When you say what needs to be said." Was his simple reply.

Both Sirius and Hermione knew what he was talking about, but were dreading actually saying it.

"Then can we at least have some food? Sirius hasn't eaten in a long time."

With a tiny 'pop', a table with two chairs appeared behind them. They turned to see table had a pot of tea, two cup and two plates of bacon, eggs, tomatoes and toast on it. Sirius was salivating from the smell alone before he even turned to see how delicious the food looked. He was at the table in seconds and devouring one of the plates.

Hermione smiled and turned back to the door. "Thank you, Remus."

"The table will refill itself with food at each mealtime until you tell him."

"I can't." She said quietly, pressing herself against the door, hoping Sirius wouldn't hear.

"You have to."

"I really don't think I can, Remus."

"Then you'll be in there forever."

"What about using the bathroom?" The thought suddenly jumped into her head.

"Behind you."

She looked back to see a new door in the room, open enough for her to make out the porcelain on the other side. Sighing, she turned back.

"You're really not joking about this, are you?" She sighed.

"No, I'm not joking. Hermione, this is something you need to do."

She was quiet for a moment. "What about the others? Won't they wonder where we are? And what did Harry think?"

"Don't worry, I told him you were doing some important research and were not to be disturbed. I'll tell the others that too."

"Well, thanks for the food, and the bathroom." She said defeatedly, knowing there was nothing she could do.

"Could you call Sirius over here? I need to talk to him, too."

"Sirius?" Hermione asked once she had turned in his direction. "Remus wants to have a word with you."

He looked up with a mouthful of scrambled eggs and nodded, frantically trying to swallow. She fought not to laugh at him as she walked over to the table and sat in the vacant chair. She ate slowly, not really that hungry as she forced herself not to listen in to the conversation taking place behind her. After one piece of toast, half a tomato, two pieces of bacon and a small amount of egg, she was full and Sirius was saying goodbye rather angrily to Remus.

"Wait!" Hermione called out, hurrying over to the door. "Remus?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Can I have my wand back?" Her voice was hopeful.

He paused for a moment. "Sirius had his wand, I don't think you need yours as well."

"Please take care of it."

"Don't worry, Hermione, I will." He chuckled.

She listened to his footsteps walking away from the room and sighed. She _had_ to tell him now, Remus would never let them leave otherwise.

When she got back to the table, she saw Sirius with a cup of tea, eyeing the remainder of her meal hungrily. She smiled at him and pushed her plate closer to him.

"You have it. I'm full."

"Oh no, Hermione, I couldn't."

"Eat." She ordered, switching plates with him.

He looked unsure for a moment, before grabbing his cutlery and quickly starting to eat her leftovers.

"I'm going to have a shower." She told him, smiling at him eagerness.

He simply nodded and continued eating.

* * *

"Sirius?" Hermione's voice broke him out of his imaginings.

He had been picturing every possible reaction for her to have _when_ he told her. He was going to. He had promised himself he would last night, and now, well, now he had to. If he didn't she'd be locked in his room with him forever... Hey, that didn't actually sound that bad.

"Sirius?" Her voice was a little more worried this time.

He shook himself before answering. "Yes?"

"Um, well I..." She trailed off from the other side of the bathroom door.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" He began to worry a little as well.

"Could I borrow some clothes?" She said in a rushed breath.

"Uh..."

"I don't have any, and I really don't want to wear yesterday's again."

"Yeah, okay, sure." He said. "I'm not sure anything will fit you, though."

"I'll have to make do."

He fetched her a large t-shirt and elastic-waist running shorts, hoping they wouldn't be overly large on her. He coughed awkwardly and knocked on the door, wondering how they were going to get his clothes to her. His breath caught as the door opened slightly, thinking that maybe he'd be able to catch a glimpse of her, but only her slim arm appeared form behind the door. He placed his clothes in her small hand and she retracted it quickly, shutting the door the moment her hand was inside.

She emerged slowly from the bathroom a few minutes later, wearing the clothes he'd picked out for her. He stared at her with wide eyes for at least a minute before she spoke.

"Do I really look that bad?" She asked sadly, fiddling with the bottom if his top.

"Bad?" He spluttered. "You look bloody gorgeous!"

His comment shocked the both of them, and made Hermione blush a light shade of pink. She wasn't sure if she was happy he thought she looked good, or embarrassed because him saying that made the memories of their night together come flooding back. She continued to stand by the door to the bathroom looking nervously at her feet and still toying with the cotton if his t-shirt. At a loss for what to do, she sat at the table and started thinking about how she was going to tell him she was in love with him. It definitely wasn't something she could just bring up casually when the conversation dulled. She had to do it right, but how?

Sirius was amazed by how _sexy_ she looked in his clothes. He expected he would like it, but not as much as he was. Even though his top was several sizes too large and his shorts were very baggy on her and fell to her knees, she still looked stunning. Better than when she'd gone out with Ron two nights previous. In fact, now that he thought about it, he hadn't actually liked what she had been wearing that much. It had turned him on, yes, but almost any woman with a body like hers wearing that outfit would've turned him on. Now, what she was wearing was baggy, totally unflattering and many sizes too big, but he still loved it. He couldn't think of any other woman in the world that could wear what Hermione was currently and make him feel the way he was.

It was then he realised he'd fallen completely in love with her. He'd known for a while that he was falling for her, but in that moment he knew it was official, he knew there was no going back. He stared at her, somewhat floored by the realisation. He _loved_ her, and she needed to know.

She had that look on her face, the one she used often while she read, a look of concentration. He momentarily wondered what she was thinking about, but he found he couldn't think of anything other than her for a few seconds. Every tiny movement she made while he watched her reminded him of their night in the library. He waited until he couldn't take it anymore before he went into the bathroom for a cold shower.

Hermione didn't notice him staring, she didn't notice when he left the room and she didn't even notice when the shower started up. What she did notice, however, was when he walked back into the room with nothing but a towel wrapped low around his hips. She sucked in a sharp breath as she let her eyes travel over his body, starting with his hair, wet and falling in dark curls to his shoulders, allowing small droplets of water to drip onto his chest. She followed their trails over this tattooed skin, pausing every now and then to take in a scar she hadn't noticed before. When she reached his abdomen, her breathing became a little more ragged as her gaze hovered over the line of black hair leading beneath his towel.

"Forgot to take clean clothes in with me." Sirius told her, oblivious to the way she was reacting.

She nodded numbly and continued to stare as he rummaged around in his draws for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The muscles in his arms and back flexed as he went through each one, pulling out different articles of clothing before finding what he wanted. She wanted to walk right up to him, pull the towel away and plaster her lips onto his, only pulling away to declare her love her him. However, she knew she would never have the confidence to to any of it.

He returned to the bathroom to dress, still completely unaware of the way his mere presence was affecting Hermione.


	10. Saying What Needs to be Said

**A/N: I am so sorry about the wait everyone. I won't even bother with excuses.**

* * *

That evening at about six fifteen, Sirius and Hermione were sitting at the table, eating a hearty meal of steak and roasted vegetables. They hadn't done much all day, most of their time had been spent talking. The talking led to discussions, and the discussions to arguments. They were used to arguing, though, they did it all the time and being stuck in his room for Merlin knows how long didn't change that fact.

Whenever they were both quiet, they were mulling over the possibilities of how to tell the other how they felt. Sirius had promised himself he would tell her today, and he needed to before the small amount of confidence he had left fizzled out. But, before he told her, he wanted to apologise for what he did that night in the library. He didn't know how she would react to him bringing it up, but it was something he had to do before the guilt building up inside of him could clear.

"Hermione?" He asked nervously, looking over to where she sat on one of the chairs.

"Hmm?" Her head snapped over to where he was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Can I talk to you about something?" His throat was dry and it was all he could do to get the words out.

"Of course, Sirius." She frowned a little, walking over to him and sitting to his right. "What's wrong?"

"I want to apologise." He told her, refusing to meet her eye.

"What for? This isn't your fault."

"No, not this. I- that night in the library, I'm sorry."

"W-what?" She stuttered, hoping she'd misheard him as her face heated up.

"The night we spent together in the library, Hermione, I'm sorry."

"Why?" She squeaked, not wanting to talk about it, especially with him.

"I shouldn't have acted the way I did, it was inappropriate and I apologise."

In spite of herself, she smiled. "You sound like Remus."

"I suppose I do. I'm not really used to apologising, I guess I just learnt from him."

For the first time in the conversation, their eyes met, and they smiled ever so slightly at each other.

"I really am sorry." He broke their eye contact.

"I don't understand why you think you need to apologise."

"Because you said no. You told me to stop, but I didn't." He explained, looking down at his hands defeatedly.

"I told you I could say no." She said, referring to the argument they had had prior to their night together. "But I never said I could mean it."

"You still said no." He sighed. "I raped you."

Hermione froze, staring at the wall in front of her. _Is that really what he though?_

"Sirius, you didn't rape me." She told him, looking up at his face and gasping when she noticed the unshed tears in them.

"Yes, I did. You said no, you told me to stop. I'm so sorry, I never meant it to happen the way it did."

"But you meant it to happen?" She asked him, beginning to feel just as worthless as all the other women he slept with.

He noticed the tone in her voice and immediately regretted saying anything. "No. Yes. I guess I did."

"Why me?" She asked him. "Why did you have to do it to me?"

"I said I was sorry, what more do you want me to do?"

"Why not Ginny? Why not any other girl in the world?"

"Ginny? I could never to that to Harry. I couldn't take away the most important thing he has."

"What about me? What about what was important to me?" She yelled at him, verging on hysteria as she jumped from the bed.

"I had sex with you, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it. But I fail to see why this is so damned important to you!" He yelled back, also standing from his seat.

"I was a virgin!" She screamed, stilling him. "You took the most important thing away from _me_!"

Tears were rolling down her cheeks as he stared at her in shock. Before she could yell at him anymore, he ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He reached the sink just in time to throw up.

The sound of her scream that night replayed over and over in his head, sounding more pained each time. He realised that her cry hadn't been from pleasure, but from pain. From experience, he knew how painful it could be for a girl, and that was when he was being gentle. He wanted to hit himself for being so stupid. That's what she was trying to tell him, all along, not that she wanted him to stop, but that she was still innocent. Why hadn't he listened? Why hadn't he let her talk? Even as he asked himself these questions, he knew the answer. It was because she affected him in such a way that made it impossible to think rationally when he was with her, especially when she had been responding so well to him.

He clamped his eyes shut and gripped his head with both his hands, trying to squeeze out her scream that seemed to be on repeat in his mind. Nothing seemed to work, no matter how hard he pressed his hands, no matter how many tears he shed, nothing would make the noise stop. Even as he splashed water on his face and tried his best to think of the sounds of pleasure she had made, her scream was still there, playing on full volume over and over.

He turned the shower on, hoping the sound of running water would wash away her sounds of pain, but it didn't. It did, however, help drown out his own as thick sobs were torn from his throat.

He simply couldn't accept the fact that he had hurt her physically, and emotionally, judging by the way she had been acting mere moments earlier. He didn't want to accept it, he wanted to erase it from his memory, and hers. He wanted more than anything to go back in time and change that night. If he could, he wouldn't take her innocence from her in a heartless, selfish manner, but he would make love to her, softly and tenderly. He would tell her he loved her. But there was no way that could happen. All time-turners had been destroyed after the fall of Voldemort. He was stuck in the present and had to accept the past before he moved on with his future.

* * *

On the other side of the door, Hermione was frozen in place, staring at where Sirius had been before his abrupt exit. She heard his sobs and started to cry even harder. She didn't know why he was crying, but it made her sad, too. Her breathing was still rapid from yelling at him, and the crying didn't make it easier to calm down.

Finally, she just curled up on his side of the bed, still able to smell him there. As she began to drift off to sleep, he was all she could think about.

* * *

Sirius was very uncomfortable when he awoke in the morning. It took him a while to realise where he was and what he was doing there. He decided that sleeping on the tiled floor in the bathroom was not a good idea, and, if he could help it, he wouldn't do it again. As he sat up, he realised his back was incredibly stiff. After trying to stretch it out for a few minutes, he gave up on it and walked into his room.

There, lying in his bed, hair and limbs spread in all directions, was the woman of his dreams. He noticed immediately that she was on his side of the bed, but dismissed it because she could easily have shifted in the night without realising it. In fact, she probably hadn't even remembered what side she'd used the previous night.

After watching her for a few moments, he decided to let her sleep and take a shower while he waited for her to wake. His back was still a little sore, he realised, as he reached around to wash it, and it reminded him that he was getting old. And getting old meant he didn't deserve someone as young and beautiful as Hermione. She needed someone closer to her age, someone who could give her children and make her the happiest woman on earth – she deserved no less. In short, the man she needed wasn't him.

After he'd showered and dressed, he went back into his room to find Hermione sitting up in his bed, staring off into space. It looked like she was thinking hard about something, but, then again, she always was. He coughed slightly, hoping to gain her attention. He watched with an amused smile on his face as her head snapped towards him, her face flushing when her eyes came to rest on him.

"Good morning, Sirius." She said softly.

"Morning, Hermione." His answer was just as soft.

All was quiet while they stared at each other, both waiting for the other to bring up what had happened the night before.

"Gods, I am so sorry." He blurted out finally, making his way to sit down next to her. "If I'd known, I never would've-"

"Stop." She interrupted him. "It happened, neither of us can do anything to change that."

"But I was so stupid, you were trying to tell me and I never let you. You could've been waiting for marriage... Merlin, I should've asked."

"And I should've told you." She countered.

"I shouldn't have done it."

"I shouldn't have given in."

He was silent for a moment. "I hurt you."

"Yes, you did." She wasn't going to lie to him.

"You must hate me."

"I don't."

"Then you should."

"I could never hate you."

"I took your innocence."

"I let you take it."

"You were waiting for someone special."

"You _were_ special."

"Not as special as some else would've been."

She broke eye contact and looked down. "I'm glad it was you."

"What?"

"I said, I'm glad it was you!" She hadn't meant to shout, but that's what it came out as.

Sirius was stunned to silence. His mouth opened and closed multiple times, like he was going say something but changed his mind. He couldn't understand how she could be happy about it, it just didn't seem possible to him. While she looked away with a light blush on her cheeks, he stared at her profile. Gods, she was gorgeous.

"I'd always dreamed it would be you." A few tears welled up in her eyes.

He continued to stare, thinking that maybe he'd hit his head on something and his brain was messing her words up before he could hear what she'd actually said. He watched a few tears fall from her eyes and wiped them from her cheeks without even thinking about it. Moulding his palms to fit each side of her face, he turned her head to face him, rubbing his thumbs over her cheekbones.

Her mouth opened, but she couldn't quite get the words she wanted to say past her throat. It was simple, really, all she had to do was say three, small words. _I love you_. Easy. At least, it should've been. It was the perfect time to say it, and she was determined not to let it slip through her fingers. She closed her eyes while she took a deep breath, before opening them and staring him straight in the eyes.

"I love you, Sirius."

His hands froze on her face, his eyes didn't blink, it was like the world was literally standing still for a moment while he tried to absorb what she'd said.

"You – you wha-" He couldn't finish.

"I love you." She repeated, her voice breaking in the middle of the sentence as his hands fell from her face.

"But – but you can't."

"Why?"

"Because of what I did, how much I hurt you."

"Merlin, Sirius, I love you. I will _always_ love you. I may have been saying no, but there was no doubt I wanted what you did, wanted it desperately."

"I'm too old."

"What?"

"You deserve someone closer to your age, who you can grow old with."

"Sirius, twenty years in the Wizarding World is nothing."

"But-"

He was cut off when her lips pressed softly to his. "Don't argue."

A surprised smile made its way onto his lips and she blushed. Taking her face in his hands again, his mouth descended on hers and he kissed her, only slightly more passionately than the kiss she'd given him. She relaxed into him, her body moulding to his as she returned the slow, sensual kiss.

"I love you, too, Hermione." He said breathlessly when he pulled back.

He'd expected her to smile, to throw her arms around him and rejoice, but she just stared. Jaw-slackened, wide-eyed staring. He wondered if he had something on his face, but he'd only recently had a shower, so it was unlikely.

"You love me?" She whispered in shock.

"Yes, Hermione, I love you."

"I never thought you'd ever love me. I'd always imagined it, but I didn't think reality would be as kind as dreamland."

"But I do."

"How long?"

"How long have I loved you?" He asked, and continued on her nod. "I started falling for you after that night in the library. Trying to forget about it was fine to begin with, but it just got worse, I couldn't stand not being around you, no other woman could make me happy. Gods, I tried to find one who would, but it was impossible. Even when I was with them, all I could think about was you. It was yesterday I finally got it through my thick skull that I was in love with you. I just feel like a coward because I didn't tell you sooner."

"You're not a coward, you were just worried about getting rejected. I don't expect you're very used to that." Hermione blushed a little. "No woman in her right mind would say no to you."

"The only woman I'm ever going to worry about saying no again is you."

She smiled. "You don't mean that."

"Of course I do. I can't imagine myself spending the rest of my life with anyone else."

"Gods, I love you." She said, shaking her head in disbelief at what was actually happening.

"How long?" He echoed her earlier words.

"Longer than I want to admit."

"Tell me." He whispered, pulling her towards him.

"Only a couple of years."

"Years?" He choked, his movements stilling.

She nodded, blushing and looking down.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Think about it Sirius, what would you have said if I did? You said yourself that you'd only just realised that you loved me – Gods, that's nice to say – so what would you have done a year ago, two years ago, if I'd said I loved you?"

"Maybe that would've made me realise."

"It doesn't matter anyway, we can't change the past."

"You're right, I'm just lucky to have you now." He told her softly, resuming his earlier actions of pulling her closer, so she was sitting in between his legs, her back to him.

"I'm the lucky one, Sirius. Any woman would kill to have you."

"You have to stop saying things like that, Hermione." He buried his head in her neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her thick curls.

"Why?"

"Because I don't care what anyone else thinks about me, or what they'd do to have me, you're all I care about right now. You're all I want to care about for a long time." He placed a delicate kiss on the side of her neck.

A small shiver crept its way up her back as his lips continued to brush over her soft skin. As much as she fought it, the urge to tilt her head became too much, and she gave in, presenting him with more skin to kiss. She relaxed against his hard chest, sighing happily as he ran his teeth over her neck.


	11. The Epitome of Beauty

**A/N: I am so, so incredibly sorry this took such a long time. I do, however, have a very good excuse. I don't blame you if you don't want to read it, and if that's the case, then simply skip the bold until you get to the story, but if you do, please read.**

**I'm sure most (if not all) of you have heard about the devastating earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand on the 22nd of February. I, unfortunately, live in in Christchurch. I, my friends and family are all okay and safe, thank goodness, but I do know people who have lost their lives or their livelihoods. The building I was in when the earthquake hit was so badly damaged I wasn't allowed back in to retrieve my laptop, so I have been without it for a while, meaning I haven't been able to write. That building has now been demolished. Thankfully, I was reunited with my dear laptop early last week and have been write almost non-stop since receiving it.**

**My family and I left our house, which is structurally okay, but almost everything within it is broken, and have been living with my grandparents who live three hours from Christchurch since. The house was without power until two days ago and only got water late last week. However, during the quake our water cylinder broke and water went _everywhere_, upstairs and down, causing the carpet to go moldy and preventing us from using water at that house until a plumber has come to fix the water cylinder. Everything in the kitchen fell off the shelves and broke, so it smelt horrible, and the wet carpet that was slowly growing mold didn't help much either. **

**Luckily, my family have a friend who has left the country to live with her son in London for several months, and we are able to rent her flat while she's gone. We moved in on Monday and only just got the Internet working, so here's the next chapter! I hope to update again in a few days, as I have nearly finished chapter 12.**

**I hope you will forgive me for the massive wait, but as I said, my excuse is really very good.**

**Enjoy! :]**

**

* * *

**

Sirius' kisses trailed down the side of Hermione's neck and onto her shoulder as he pushed the fabric of the shirt she was wearing out of the way. A small whimper broke from her throat as his mouth latched onto a patch of sensitive skin. His hands travelled up and down her arms, before moving to her stomach and drifting slowly upwards.

"Sweet Merlin." He murmured when he realised she wasn't wearing a bra.

Her only reply was a soft groan of approval as his hands began to work her breasts, moving in circles as his tongue continued to lave her shoulder. Slowly, his hands moved up further, pulling her top – well, it was his, but she was wearing it – over her head and chucking it away from the bed dismissively.

He paused to look at her for a moment. Her naked back was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, from the curve of her waist to the subtle, smooth muscles he hadn't expected, or even noticed before. His hand lifted and was about to touch the soft skin when her worried voice brought him back to reality.

"Sirius? Is something wrong?"

She turned around, so she was facing him and he could see the nervous look on her face, and giving him a clear view of her breasts. He was so focused on them that he didn't notice the blush that crept up her cheeks as she noticed him staring.

"You're so beautiful." He breathed, gazing into her eyes and stroking her cheek.

Her blush deepened. "Make me _feel_ beautiful." She took his hand and pressed it back against her breast.

He smiled and leant down to kiss her, his lips moulding to hers as if they were made to fit together perfectly. The hand on her breast began to move, using his forefinger and thumb to pinch at her nipple, before switching to the other. All the while, his other hand snaked its way down her body, slipping into the waistband of the shorts she was wearing to stroke her hip. Her breath caught as she felt his fingers ghosting over the bare, sensitive skin of her thighs, moving up the inside of them, ever closer to where she longed for them to be.

"Sirius." She gasped. "Touch me. Please."

"As you wish." He whispered, gently pushing her backwards onto the bed and removing the shorts and her underwear in one go.

His long, rough fingers gently brushed over her centre, causing the muscles in her thighs to seize up for a moment, before she slowly relaxed into his touch. All too soon, she felt his fingers drift away and he kissed her once more. The kiss was slower this time, more sensual and relaxed. They knew they had time. As their mouths made love to each other, his hands ran up and down her arms, her sides, her hips, her legs as she mewled and whimpered into his mouth in response.

His mouth followed the path of fire his hands had only recently made after he forced himself away from her soft lips. He began at one fingertip, kissing down the length of it before repeating the motion with the other fingers. His lips moved to her palm, kissing it once, then moving to her wrist. The blood rushing through her veins sped up as his lips brushed over her soft skin.

He listened to her heavy breathing as his mouth moved further up her forearm, over her inner elbow and up to her shoulder. His lips drifted over her collarbone, nipping lightly until she was mewling quietly and squirming beneath him.

"Sirius, I don't know how long I can handle this." She gasped out.

"Hush." He murmured against her skin, and she seemed to oblige.

His mouth moved to her breast, only lingering for a moment before drifting down over her ribcage and onto her soft stomach. He avoided her core and his lips travelled along her outer thigh and down over her knee. When he reached her ankle, he removed his lips from her sweat-slicked skin and planted a small kiss on the tip of each of her toes, causing them to curl under in pleasure. As his lips began their journey up the inner side of her smooth leg, Hermione's breathing became increasingly unsteady. His lips moved incredibly slowly up her inner thigh, until she was gasping to get the oxygen into her lungs.

"Sirius." She panted as he paused above her dripping centre.

He smirked and placed a tiny kiss atop her clit before continuing his path along the inside of her other leg. She tried uselessly to regulate her breathing, and in the end she just gave up, resigned to the fact that while he was doing the incredible things he was to her body, she'd never be able to breathe properly. When his mouth reached her toes, he kissed each tip as he had done with the previous foot and began kissing his way back up the outer side of her leg. At her hip, he paused to suck on her slightly protruding hipbone, causing what little control she had on her breathing to disappear as she groaned. Pulling away to admire the mark he'd left on her, he allowed a moment to take in the sight of her naked beauty lying before him before returning his lips to her skin.

Instead of kissing his way up her stomach as he'd done on the downward journey, he licked a long line with the tip of his tongue from her hip all the way up until just below her breast, causing her to gasp and faintly arch her back. He kissed a circle around her breast and smiled against her skin as she wriggled under him, trying to get his mouth where she wanted it. When he finally latched onto the side of her breast and began to suck gently, she let out a small mewl of pleasure and arched up more, desperate to get that wonderful mouth onto her hard nipple. Letting her flesh go with a small 'pop', his lips moved to the side and enclosed around her neglected peak. Softly moaning her thanks, she let her eyes flutter shut as she focussed solely on the amazing sensations Sirius was causing her body.

He was getting more and more turned on every second by the gentle noises she was making, the feel of her wonderful body beneath his and the simple knowledge that it was all actually happening and it wasn't just another fantasy. Wanted desperately to be inside her again, but wanting more to finish his worship of her body, he left her nipple and moved up to her collarbone and along her slender arm. He kissed each fingertip lovingly, before his lips finally descended on hers.

As he kissed her, Hermione allowed her hands to snake down to the bottom of his t-shirt and begin slowly pulling it upwards. As she did so, she raked her nails up his chest, giving the same amount of pleasure as raking down would, but not nearly as much pain. He growled against her lips, biting one between his teeth for a moment before pulling away so she could remove his t-shirt.

Before he had a chance to figure out what was happening, she had flipped them over and he was pinned beneath her. A small, sexy smirk was playing at the corner of her mouth as she leant down and placed a delicate kiss on his chest. She kissed each one of his tattoos in turn, realising she had missed being able to do so terribly. When she was beginning to suck at one, she felt his hands move from her hips up to her face and pull her away.

"Tonight is about you, Hermione, about your pleasure." He told her, looking deeply into her eyes.

"But I take pleasure from this, Sirius." She said, turning her head to kiss the inside of his palm. "Just like you do from kissing my body."

"Merlin, I love you." He shock his head, still in awe of how lucky he was to have her.

She smiled and leant down to his ear, "I love you, too."

Together, they managed to strip Sirius of his remaining clothes and soon he'd flipped them again and was hovering above her entrance, his fully erect cock resting against her soaking core. She nodded reassuringly, almost begging him with her eyes to enter her.

"Sirius, _please_." Her voice was a little scratchy from all the panting and gasps he'd caused her, and the lust-clouded look in her eyes made him lose whatever control he was holding onto.

He bent his head to kiss her as their bodies were finally joined again. He pushed into her slowly, as if he was scared of harming her again, and once he was fully enveloped inside of her, he paused to give her time to adjust. Her kiss became more demanding, and he accepted this as a sign that she was ready for him to move, so he pulled out and thrust back into her slowly, every glorious feeling being drawn out to its maximum. Her hips lifted timidly to meet his every thrust with the perfect precision she desired in everything she did – and this was no different. And even if her want to excel for her own satisfaction wasn't enough, she wanted to be perfect for him, because it was nothing more than he deserved after being so perfect for her.

Hermione found her breathing becoming more ragged that she ever thought possible and she had to pull away from Sirius' lips to get even the smallest amount of oxygen into her lungs. As she gazed up into his pale eyes, he continued to make love to her, neither one ever breaking eye contact. Although his pace was slow, it meant every feeling, no matter how small was heightened and prolonged before another took over, it meant he could pour every ounce of love and adoration he had for her into his actions. And there was a lot of it to be poured.

As the marvellous sensations built up in her body, she found she it difficult to maintain eye contact, but forced her eyelids to stay open. She gasped softly (as she didn't have enough breath in her for much more) as his head dipped and his lips surround one of her peaked nipples. Her chest rose from the bed of its own accord as he began to suck gently, causing her breath to come out it short pants. Somehow, despite the task at hand, he managed to retain eye contact with her. He soon moved to her other nipple and sucked a little harder, pulling a small whimper from her throat.

Never in her life had she ever thought sex could be as beautiful as it was proving to be in that moment. Not when she was in school and seemingly everyone around her was gushing over how amazing it was. Not during the night she had shared with Sirius in the library when everyone else had been out, that had been different. That night had been wild and rough and sexy, not soft or loving or beautiful. And she had definitely not realised it during the night she spent with Ron, largely because she remembered none of it. Now, she saw sex in a whole new light, she saw it had a certain splendour that was addictive, saw it provided a connection between two people that could not be obtained it any other way. Nothing else could ever compare to it. In that one moment, staring deeply into her lover's slightly clouded eyes, Hermione decided that sex was the epitome of beauty.

All rational thought left her mind mere moments later, however, as he snaked one hand down her stomach and grazed the pad of his thumb over her swollen clit. His thumb moved in time with his thrusts, and soon she felt that familiar tingling in the pit of her stomach. She saw the sweat on his face as her eyes momentarily left his to give him a quick once over, and she knew he was as close as she was.

His mouth left her breast and his head bent over hers to kiss her softly for a moment before he pulled away. His smouldering gaze seemed to pierce right through her as they stared at each other, both so incredibly close to what would probably be the most pleasure either of them had ever experienced, and yet they were so far. Hermione's arms wrapped around his shoulders and used them as leverage to lift her upper body high enough for her lips to be able to latch onto the side of his neck. She sucked his salty skin into her mouth, wanting to mark him just as he'd marked her not so long before.

One more thrust and perfectly timed brush of his thumb on her clit was all it took for her body to seize up, her mouth pulling away from his neck. Her breath caught in her throat as all the heat flew from her body, only to come rushing back a millisecond later. Her inner muscles clenched tightly around his cock as she was thrown into oblivion with a long, almost painfully pleasurable groan of satisfaction.

Sirius followed almost immediately with a low growl, the mere idea of her marking him combined with the rapid tightening of her centre becoming too much. He resisted the urge to slump back onto the bed and fall asleep and instead waited for her body – and his – to stop shuddering before he pulled out. The urge he couldn't fight, however, was the one telling him to kiss the beautiful woman below him, so he did. His lips found hers and he kissed her softly, being as gentle and loving as was possible for him.

When he finally left her welcoming body to collapse beside her, they were both on the verge of sleep. He could barely be bothered to get them both under the covers, but decided they would both be very thankful for the extra warmth later and pulled the duvet up over them. Hermione rolled over, so she was half lying on him and smiled up at him. It wasn't just any old smile, though, it was a truly happy, fully satisfied, one hundred percent in love smile.

Just as they were about to fall asleep, her head resting against his bare chest, and their limbs intertwined, he heard her speak. He knew it wasn't the first time he'd heard the words from her lips, in fact, he'd heard the exact same words in a very similar scenario many days before, but this time he could actually _understand_ them.

"I love you, Sirius." Her sleepy voice had told him.


	12. Requiring No Clothes at All

Hermione woke several hours later, at about five in the evening. The first thing she noticed was that there was a warm body lying against hers. A _naked_ body. Her eyes snapped open, but when the memories came back to her, all the worries in her mind disappeared and she smiled, lifting her head to look at his peaceful, sleeping face.

The second thing she noticed was that lunch was still on their little table, along with a piece of parchment. Curious, and rather hungry, considering she hadn't eaten all day, she slipped out from beneath the covers and made her way over to the table, pulling on one of Sirius' t-shirts along the way. She picked the note up inquisitively and unfolded it. She read it and let out a small gasp of surprise, waking Sirius.

"Herm-mi-mione?" His half-asleep voice inquired.

She spun around and smiled at him, blushing a little.

"Good morning. Or should I say evening?"

"How late is it?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"About five, I think." She answered, walking over to him and placing the note on the bed as she sat down beside him. "Read it. It's from Remus."

_'Hermione and Sirius,_

_You two do realise the door unlocked the second you admitted your feelings for each other, right? __Well, anyway, I took the liberty of locking it again and placing a strong silencing charm on the room after you didn't come out. I trust you needed them?_

_Remus.'_

Sirius just laughed and tossed it off to the side.

"How can you be laughing at that?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He was just having a little fun, you can't blame him for that. And besides, how would you have liked it if Harry walked in here and saw what I was doing to you? I doubt he'd ever be able to look either of us in the eye again."

That made her smile, "I guess you're right. I'm just not sure I like people knowing about... _that_ sort of thing. How did he know anyway?"

"He knows me." He smirked.

Her eyes narrowed and she humphed.

"Okay, he knows that when two people admit their love for one another, they need to be connected in a way that only the beautiful act of love-making can give them."

She gasped, it was like he had been reading her thoughts.

"Don't look so astonished, love, I can be deep and meaningful when I want to be."

"No, it's not that, I just – I..." She trailed off.

"You what?"

"I was thinking almost that exact same thing earlier, when we... when you were..." She trailed off again, blushing this time.

"Being given the most pleasurable experience of my life by the woman I love with all my heart?" He suggested, crawling closer to her.

She blushed again, turning her head away from him. She really wasn't used to being given compliments, especially from him, especially when he was as close as he was.

"I really love you, Hermione. I know most people won't believe it, but I do." He told her, looking directly into her eyes.

"And most people will think I'm stupid for believing it, but I do."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her, but the growl of her stomach interrupted. She laughed nervously and looked back over to the table where the food was beckoning her.

"Can we eat?"

"Are you really asking me whether you can eat or not? We're not married yet, love." He chuckled, completely missing the surprised smile that passed over her face when he said 'yet'.

"Put some clothes on so I can actually concentrate on something other than your amazing body, please." Hermione said as she got off the bed and sat down to have lunch... at twenty past five in the evening.

"And you think I can concentrate at all with you in front of me all the time?"

She blushed again, but chose to ignore the comment and start her meal.

* * *

"Do you think the door's open yet?" Hermione asked when they had finished eating.

"You want to leave?"

"Honestly, I'd love to stay in this room with you for the rest of the night, but I'd quite like to get my revenge on Remus." She explained. "And my own clothes. Don't get me wrong, I love wearing yours, but it just doesn't feel the same."

"Revenge can wait, and you won't be needing _any_ clothes for what I have in mind." He smirked at her.

She raised an eyebrow at him and stood, noting that her plate automatically refilled with the evening meal once she was out of her seat. Sirius stood also and, wearing only a pair of black silk boxers, walked around the table to where she was. He took her face in his hands, kissing her softly and threading his fingers through her curly hair. When she pulled away, she buried her head in his bare chest, her breath washing over him in warm puffs. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her as close as possible, wanting to feel her heart beating next to his. They stood like that for long moments, just listening to each other's breathing.

"Sirius?" She whispered finally, lifting her head to look up at him.

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Am I frumpy?"

"What?"

"I want you to be completely honest, am I frumpy?"

"No, Merlin no, you're gorgeous. Why would you even think something like that?"

"That girl, Ellie, or whatever her name was, Luna's cousin." She began to explain. "She said I was frumpy."

Sirius sighed and kissed her head. "You most definitely are not frumpy, Hermione. You are beautiful and sexy and gorgeous and I love you. That girl was a bitch, I can't believe I was ever desperate enough to take her home with me."

"Desperate?"

"Do you have any idea how stunning you looked in that dress you were wearing? I couldn't get you out of my head and that dress most definitely didn't help."

She smiled shyly up at him and he kissed her softly, scooping her up in his arms like a groom would a bribe. He chuckled as Hermione pulled away and yelped, her arms immediately wrapping around his neck in attempt to get a more secure hold on him.

"Sirius, put me down!" She squealed, her voice slightly higher than usual.

"What if I don't want to?"

"I'm serious, Sirius." She told him, but even as she did so a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"You don't look very serious."

"Please?" She pouted, moving her face close to his and rubbing their noses together.

"Well, when you put it that way..." He grinned and dropped her onto his bed, where she landed with a surprised squeak.

"Sirius! I said 'put' not 'drop'!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, love. I think my hearing must be failing."

She glared at him for a moment, before the smile she'd been holding at bay let loose and she pulled him down on top of her.

"Comfortable?" He whispered, his breath washing across her neck.

"Very." She answered, pulling his face down to hers.

Her fingers drew intricate patterns over his chest as he shifted a little, so he was resting on his forearms and not as much on her. His tongue brushed along her lip and a mere second later her lips opened and her own tongue was drawing his into her mouth. They kissed slowly, tongues rubbing together, hands roaming and bodies becoming increasingly hotter and sweatier. She rolled them over, and took control, her lips moving from his mouth to his jaw, kissing a trail down to his neck, where she nipped his skin lightly and began sucking.

She had her legs on either side of his hips, resting on her knees while holding her upper body up with her arms on either side of his head, effectively preventing any part of her body, other than her lips from touching him. Once she was satisfied with the love bite on his skin, she moved lower, kissing over his chest and the many tattoos and scars that were found there. Gods, she loved his body, she loved how he tasted especially. That musky, spicy tang of his skin under her lips and tongue, the hint of salt from his sweat mixing in wonderfully with the other flavours.

Sirius ran his hands up and down her back, trying uselessly to pull her body down to his. When he realised she wasn't going to give in, he slipped his hands under the fabric of her t-shirt and pulled it up over her head, exposing her naked form to him. He groaned a little at the sight in front of him, enough to distract Hermione long enough for her to lift her head and smile at him, before returning to his chest.

As she made her way down his muscled torso, her heart began to beat a little faster. When she reached his abdomen, she pulled his boxers off and looked at his rather intimidating erect cock with a nervous expression. Her eyes lifted to his face as she took her bottom lip between her teeth and chewed on it anxiously, before glancing down at his erection again.

His heart was hammering in his chest as he realised what she wanted. He felt a little self-conscious as she stared at his most intimate part so intently, but reminded himself that she loved him, and that she hadn't much experience with intimacy.

"You can touch it, love," he told her breathlessly when her eyes met his again, "Whatever you want."

She looked down again and slowly lifted her hand. She was almost shaking out of nerves and didn't quite know what to do. Luckily, Sirius took her hand in his and guided it to his pulsating cock, shivering as her fingers brushed against it. She jumped a little at how odd it felt, but soon got used to it and began running her fingers lightly over him as he groaned.

Sirius had his eyes tightly closed, and therefore he jumped slightly when he felt her lips on his shaft, causing her to pull back, thinking she'd done something wrong.

"Sorry," she blushed, not meeting his eyes.

"Don't be sorry, Hermione. You've done nothing wrong, I was just a little startled, that's all. I wasn't expecting it," he pulled her face up for a kiss.

"I guess I'm a little new at this," her face flushed even more.

"You're wonderful."

She smiled shyly and moved back down his body until her face was above his cock. With once last nervous glance at him, she lowered her head and kissed the tip of his erection again, this time parting her lips so her tongue could slip out. His hands went automatically to her hair as her hot tongue circled around the head of his cock, drawing a low growl from the back of his throat.

"Oh fuck, Hermione," he gasped, trying his best not to pull her hair too roughly.

She moved down slowly, taking a little more of him inside her mouth every few seconds. Groaning, he ran his fingers through her thick curls as best he could, giving her the recognition he knew his voice could not at that moment. Her timid movements were more arousing than anything and he found the permanent blush that seemed to never disappear from her cheeks incredibly sexy. The most amazing thing, however, was that she was his, she loved _him._ And if he had it his way, she'd never have to love another man again.

Hermione began to gag a little as she made to take him further into his mouth and pulled back, her blush deepened.

"Is that normal?" she asked in a small, nervous voice, looking up at him with her big, worried brown eyes.

"Yes, love, you have nothing to be nervous about, especially because it's your first time. It'll get better, with more practice," he told her, smiling warmly.

"Maybe we should practice some time later," she suggested quietly.

"Whatever you want," he said, reaching out to stroke her still pink cheek.

She crawled slowly up his body and kissed him softly, her lips opening to accept his probing tongue into her mouth. Shifting her weight onto her elbows, she lowered herself so their upper bodies were touching, her breasts rubbing against his chest and causing her nipples to harden immediately against his rough, weathered skin. Whimpering slightly as his tongue caressed the top of her mouth, she slid her own tongue against his and made him groan.

He took control again, rolling her over and holding himself above her with his arms. They were both panting when they pulled away from each other, but Sirius ignored his lack of breath and kissed down her body. He looked up at her when his face was above her wet pussy.

"You smell incredible, Hermione," he told her, his eyes darkened with his lust, "May I?"

Her inner muscles clenched at the thought, but she shook her head, "Later... need you... inside me... now," she gasped, spreading her legs for him.

With an animalistic growl, he entered her quickly, pulling a moan from her throat. Barely giving her a second to adjust to his cock stretching her walls, he began thrusting into her hot, willing body. They found their rhythm easily and he leant down to capture her lips between his, roughly plunging his tongue into her mouth and sliding it against hers.

Hermione was sure she had gone completely insane, as not a single coherent thought could be made in her head. Everything he was doing to her, his lips on hers, his tongue in her mouth, his thick cock slamming into her soaked pussy over and over, it all made it that much harder for her to think. The sensations building up in her body were driving her very quickly – too quickly, in her opinion – to her ultimate pleasure.

Sirius knew he was losing it, but he'd known to expect it. She was gorgeous and sexy and amazing and he'd known, even from that first night that he'd have to fight to keep up with her. She was so deliciously hot and tight and wet around him he was in a state of pure bliss. He pulled away from her mouth gasping, and he noticed her doing the same.

He knew from the look in her eyes that she was as close as him, her eyes were darkened with lust and her mouth open slightly. Shifting his weight into one arm, he allowed the other to travel down her body to circle her clit. She cried out in ecstasy, feeling her body beginning to tremble as she was pushed closer to orgasm. As he bent his head and scraped his teeth over her neck, she let go of everything and shuddered as her vision blurred and breath caught.

"Fuck," he groaned, feeling her muscles contract around him.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, he was thrown over the edge with her, his own body trembling alongside hers.

"Merlin, Sirius," she gasped once he'd collapsed onto the bed beside her and she'd regained her breath, "I think I'm going to enjoy loving you."

* * *

**A/N: If anyone has an idea for what Hermione and Sirius could do to get revenge on Remus, I'd love to hear your opinions. I don't want it to be massive, just something small and amusing :]**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**


	13. Revenge

**A/N: I am so, so, so sorry this took so long, but here it is (finally). I hope to get the next chapter up within the next couple of days. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, it's always really great to hear from you all :]**

* * *

The next morning Hermione was sitting at the table, eating breakfast in Sirius' room and trying to come up with a suitable punishment for Remus.

"You know, Hermione, I think we should be thanking him, not plotting to get revenge on him," Sirius said casually, taking a bite out of his marmalade toast.

"Why would we thank him for locking us in here?"

"Because it made us admit our feelings for each other."

"I would've told you eventually," she mumbled quietly.

"Still, don't do anything too drastic, okay?"

"Of course, I'll only do something that you approve of."

"And what if I don't approve of anything?"

"Oh, trust me, you'll approve of this."

"You've thought of something?"

"Oh, yeah," a sneaky grin spread across her face.

He found himself leaning toward her a little, waiting to hear her plan. Yes, he was very thankful for what Remus had done for them, but he would never pass up the opportunity to pull a prank on his old friend, and the look on Hermione's face told him it would be well worth the effort in the end.

* * *

Remus wasn't quite sure how he came to be in the position he was, but he knew for sure that he didn't like it much. One minute he was reading peacefully and the next both Hermione and Sirius had him backed up against a wall in the library with their wands pointed straight at him.

"Ah, did you have a nice time?" he offered, trying to shift the hard glares they were currently giving him.

"Hello, Remus," Hermione said in an overly sugary voice that made him wince.

"And yes, it was simply delightful being locked in my room against my will."

Remus gulped, facing the business end of Hermione's wand was somewhere no one wanted to be, and he knew from experience that when Sirius got angry, there wasn't much anyone could do other than wait it out and hope no one was injured.

"I apologise for what I did, but I think it was necessary."

"Nothing was necessary, Remus, we could have figured this out by ourselves," she replied.

"No one asked you to interfere," Sirius added.

The couple took another step towards Remus, daring him to argue.

"How about we go downstairs and have a nice cup of tea?" Remus suggested hopefully.

"Oh, I don't think that will be needed," she smiled rather evilly at him and raised her wand a little higher.

"Hermione? What are you doing?"

"_Diminuendo,_" she whispered, her grin widening as her former professor began to shrink before her eyes. She lifted the spell when he was as tall as her knee and knelt down in front of him for an inspection, "Oh, Teddy's going to love this."

Sirius chuckled at his friend's expense and smiled down at Hermione, "I think he needs a leash."

She smiled and pulled a small collar out of her pocket – a pink one with rhinestones – and attached it to a very disgruntled looking Remus' neck. She then clipped a rope into the collar and gave it an experimental tug.

Mini-Remus gave a very high-pitched squeak and his hands flew to his throat in shock.

"This is going to be hilarious!" Hermione giggled, already on her way to the door to show off her new pet.

"_What_ did you do to my husband?" Tonks exclaimed loudly as she stared down at mini-Remus with wide eyes as they walked into the kitchen.

"I shrunk him!" Hermione said proudly, bending down to pat his head.

"Why? Did he say you could?"

"Oh, of course, you know I'd never do anything like this without his permission," she smiled innocently.

Mini-Remus made another squeaking noise, which was probably supposed to be some kind of argument, but was completely inaudible. Tonks was still frowning and a bit shocked, but she decided he was actually quite cute, and she knew Hermione's magic was too accurate to harm him in any way, so she went along with it.

"How long will he be like this?"

"Until I need someone to discuss Arithmacy with."

Sirius chuckled, "That won't take long."

"Is this the research you two have been working on?" Tonks asked.

Hermione and Sirius looked at each other for a moment, before realisation struck, Remus had told everyone they were doing research in Sirius' room, which was why they were locked in there.

"Uh, yeah," Hermione answered.

"He's kind of cute when he's so little," she crouched in front of her husband and cocked her head to the side, "But it's still a little weird."

"Don't worry, we _will_ enlarge him again, promise," Hermione said, "Now, where's Teddy?"

"Teddy?" Tonks frowned, "Why would y- oh, you want to show Remus to Teddy? He's in the living room with Ginny."

"This is going to be great, do you want to come and watch?" Hermione asked.

"Why not?" Tonks replied, following Hermione, Remus and Sirius into the living room.

"What happened to him?" Ginny gasped in shock as mini-Remus came into view.

"Don't worry, I'll turn him back to normal later," Hermione explained.

"You did this?" Ginny asked, obviously surprised.

"Yes, I did."

"Wh-" Ginny's question was cut off by Teddy's excited squeal as he saw his miniature father.

Hermione unleashed Remus and the three women stepped back, watching curiously as Teddy approached him. They were about the same height, Teddy only slightly taller, but Remus was about half as wide as his son and it was probably rather terrifying being advanced upon by something so large.

Everyone held their breath as Teddy reached out and gave mini-Remus an experimental prod. When he moved and made yet another squeaking sound, Teddy exploded into giggles an started clapping happily. Sighing, Hermione smiled down at the father and son, who now looked a lot like child and doll at that moment.

Hermione felt an arm snake around her waist and she jumped a little, before realising it was Sirius. After arguing with herself over whether or not to let him show his affection so publicly, she simply smiled and relaxed into his touch. However, when his lips brushed against her cheek she pulled out of his grasp and glared at him.

"Sirius," she hissed warningly.

"What?" he whispered, an innocent smile plastered on his face.

She rolled her eyes and turned back to the others, only to find Tonks and Ginny staring at her with their mouths open in disbelieving smiles.

"Oh no," Hermione uttered nervously, turning back to Sirius.

"Just tell them," he smiled, pulling her close again.

"Uh, well, we-"

"What in the name of Merlin happened to Remus?" Harry exclaimed, walking into the room.

When no one answered him, he took a closer look at the other occupants in the room and frowned at Sirius' arm around Hermione. He glanced back and forth between the smaller version of Remus and his Godfather looking far too cosy with his best friend, not quite knowing which to be more shocked and worried about.

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Harry demanded.

"Well, Hermione turned Remus into mini-Remus, and she's promised to turn him back eventually," Tonks supplied.

"Why?" Harry frowned, looking at Hermione blushing face.

"Um, it's a long story," she answered, biting her lip.

"I thought you said this was research?" Tonks asked.

"Well, yeah, I did, but it isn't."

"So why were and Sirius locked in his room all that time?" Ginny questioned.

"Um, we may want to sit down, this is going to take a while to explain," Hermione said.

Once they were all seated – Sirius suspiciously close to Hermione – the others looked expectantly at the pair and waited for one of them to explain. Hermione glanced at Sirius and he gave her an encouraging nod.

"Why do I have to explain?" she asked Sirius.

"Do you really want me telling them?" he smirked at her.

Hermione considered him for a moment, "No, not really."

"Then go for it, they're waiting," he smiled, placing his hand atop hers.

She took a breath and looked up, only to find Harry, Ginny and Tonks staring at Sirius' hand where it was touching hers. Gulping, she cleared her throat a little, and their gases were redirected to her face.

"Well, Remus locked us in there together," she began, watching as all eyes moved to mini-Remus and Teddy.

"Why did he do that?" Ginny asked.

"He knew we..." she looked down, "He knew we loved each other."

"What?" Harry yelled is disbelief.

"Harry, calm down," Hermione said softly, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Calm down? He's old enough to be your father!"

"You think I don't know that? You think I haven't lain awake for hours at night asking myself why I fell in love with him? You think I chose this, Harry? You didn't choose to fall in love with your best friend's little sister, I didn't choose to fall in love with Sirius either, it just happened," she said, getting a little irritated.

After a moment of everyone staring at her, she said a mumbled, "Sorry."

"I still don't understand why he locked you in there," Tonks said, breaking the awkward silence.

"We wouldn't tell each other, so he locked us in, saying we'd only be allowed out when we admitted our feelings for each other," Hermione was blushing profusely by this point.

"And that's why you shrunk him? Because he did that?" Ginny asked.

"Yes."

"Shouldn't you be thanking him?" she asked again, "I mean, if he didn't do that you two wouldn't be together now."

"That's exactly what I told her," Sirius put in, tightening his hold around Hermione's waist.

"Well, I thought Teddy needed someone his own size to play with, and I wanted to get Remus back for what he did, so I decided this was the perfect thing to do. Don't get me wrong, we're both very thankful, but he had this coming."

Ginny and Tonks murmured quiet agreements while Harry stared on is disbelief. He simply couldn't comprehend that his best friend and his Godfather were in love – they couldn't be, could they? But apparently they were, and he could see it in their faces when they looked at each other, when they made eye contact and smiled. He just didn't want to believe it.

"Harry?" Hermione asked quietly, feeling a little nervous about how silent he was being.

"Hmm?"

"Are you... um, okay with this?" she questioned anxiously, blushing a little.

"Will it make any difference if I'm not?" he asked. She opened her mouth to reply, but didn't quite know that to say. "If you two love each other like you say you do, then who am I to get in the way of that? I can't say I'm elated about it, but if it makes both of you happy, then I'll try to be happy for you."

"Thank you, Harry," she smiled at him as Sirius nodded his appreciation.

Teddy's loud squeal reminded them of his presence and that Remus was still shrunken.

"I think it's time to return him to his normal size, don't you?" Sirius whispered in Hermione's ear.

"I don't know, I think he looks cute like this," she grinned mischievously.

"Come on," he encouraged, "Turn him back."

"Fine," she mumbled, "_Engorgio_."

Remus grew in size until he was back to normal, and Teddy was looking around in confusion, wondering what had happened to his new friend. After the shock of being his real size again wore off, Remus turned to Hermione and Sirius. They both smiled innocently at him, though they were both inwardly cringing at the thought of what his reaction would be.

Surprising them both, a grin broke out on his face and he chuckled loudly, engulfing the both of them in a huge hug. Hermione let out a relieved breath and embraced him back, very thankful he wasn't angry at her for using magic on him. Sirius patted his friend rather awkwardly on the back, not quite sure how to react.

"I'm glad you're not still angry at me," Remus said, pulling back.

"I'm glad you're not angry at me," Hermione replied, smiling.

"You're right about what you said before, I had it coming."

"You could hear all that?" she asked in wonder.

"Of course, and I might add my son is rather intimidating when he's that size."

"Thank you, Remus, for doing that. You gave us the push we didn't know we needed," Hermione said quietly, hating to admit she needed help with something.

"You're very welcome, and thank you for enlarging me again. Or maybe I should be thanking Sirius for convincing you to do it."

"No need to thank me, mate, she's a stubborn one. If she hadn't wanted to do it nothing I could've done would've convinced her otherwise," Sirius put in.

"Oh, I can think of something that would've worked," Hermione said, smirking at him and taking a step towards him.

"And what would that be?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

"It's a secret," she whispered, holding a finger up to her lips.

Ginny, always the observant one, noticed the looks on their faces, "I think we should go," she said to the others, having to drag Harry out with her.

Tonks and Remus followed all to willingly, not wanting to see any of what was happening.

"Tell me," Sirius asked, his voice a little huskier than usual.

"No. I'll show you instead."

With that, Hermione pressed her lips to his, her arms wrapping around his body to bring his head down to her level.


	14. The Surprise

**A/N: I really hope you guys all like this, and if you do please, please, _please_ review, they really make my day :]**

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"Oh no," Hermione moaned, making a mad dash to the bathroom for the third time that morning and making it just in time to be sick in the basin.

She held her hair back and shut her eyes, trying her best not to think about the smell. Groaning, she wiped her mouth and slumped against the wall, resting her head against it. Her eyes still closed, she thought about the thing that made her the happiest – Sirius.

It had been three days since they'd left his room, since they'd told Tonks, Harry, Ginny and Remus – though he already knew – about their relationship. They'd gone to The Burrow that night to tell everyone else, and they were all very supportive. It felt so right being with him, everything in her life was working out perfectly, except for the fact she was currently very ill. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but she was pretty certain it was a stomach bug of some sort, she regularly got ill like this when she was a child, but had hoped she'd grown out of it. Apparently not.

"Hermione?" Ginny called from the other side of the door, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"You shouldn't be worrying about me," she answered tiredly, "Stress isn't good for the baby, you know."

As soon as the words left her lips, her eyes snapped open and she sucked in a sharp breath. _Baby_. She looked down at her stomach and back towards the door. _Baby_. Her mind filled with so many different things that she couldn't figure out what any of them were, except one. _Baby_.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that's all. Just yell if you need anything," Ginny said kindly, before her footsteps retreated down the hall.

Hermione sat in shock for what seemed like hours, trying to comprehend what was happening. She was pregnant, or at least she thought she was, that was the more logical explanation for her sickness. She was going to be a mother. Sirius was going to be a father, or... Ron was going be a father. Her eyes filled with salty tears as she thought about it. It wasn't as much that she didn't want to have Ron's child, but she knew how upset Sirius would be if it wasn't his. And she also didn't want Ron to have a child to someone he didn't love.

The tears made slow pathways down her abnormally pale cheeks and dripped off her chin. Crying seemed to be the only thing she could do at that moment, nothing else registered in her brain. If she was indeed pregnant, she could pass it off as her hormones playing up, but it was probably just the thought of it that was making her cry.

It must have been about half an hour before she'd pulled herself together enough to leave the bathroom and venture out into the house. Barely a minute after she'd left, Tonks was beside her, asking if she was okay, if there was anything she needed. Brushing her off, Hermione said she was going to visit a healer and promptly flooed to St Mungo's without further explanation.

"I'd like to see a Healer, please," Hermione informed the stocky receptionist.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"I, um, I think I may be expecting," she said, a little embarrassed.

"Okay, miss, could I please take your name?"

"Hermione Granger," she said.

"Please have a seat, a Healer will be with you in a moment," the smiling woman told her.

Doing as she was asked, Hermione sat on one of the rather uncomfortable seats in the small waiting room anxious to find out if her theory was correct or not. Barely two minutes later, her name was called and she was lead into an even smaller room by a young Healer, probably only a few years older than herself.

"I am Healer Grey, it's nice to meet you, Miss Granger," the Healer said warmly, holding out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, too," she took her hand and shook it weakly, feeling very nervous.

"Now, Miss Granger, I am told you think you are expecting?"

Hermione nodded.

"Why do you think this?"

"I've been very sick this morning, and I thought pregnancy was the most logical explanation. I know that's not much to go by, but I though even if I wasn't, I should get my illness looked at anyway."

"If it's okay with you, I will preform a test on you, it's a simple pregnancy test that may tingle a little, but won't hurt," the Healer paused and continued at Hermione's nod of consent. "If the currently transparent smoke at the tip of my wand turns white, then you are expecting, if it turns black, you are not. Do you understand?"

Hermione nodded for what felt like the tenth time since entering the room and watched as Healer Grey murmured the incantation and held her wand over Hermione's lower stomach.

"This may take a few moments to work, the longer it takes, the shorter amount of time it's been since conception," the Healer informed her.

Hermione held her breath as she waited to find out if she was going to be a mother or not. Her heart thudded in her chest as the smoke became visible, at first it was a greyish colour, but after a few seconds it turned pure white.

"Congratulation, Miss Granger, you are expecting a child."

All Hermione could do was blink at the smoke and nod numbly.

"Could you find out who the father is?" Hermione finally asked, blushing a little.

"Oh, you don't know?" the young Healer was obviously a little surprised.

"Um, no. My boyfriend and I had a falling out and I slept with another man while I was intoxicated," she twisted the truth a little, but it still made her blush deepen.

"Well then, I can do another test for you."

"Could you write it down for me? I'd like us to find out together."

"Of course."

Once the test was taken and the piece of parchment with the answer to the biggest, most life-changing question in her mind was safely tucked away in her pocket, Hermione left St Mungo's and flooed back to Grimmauld Place.

"Hermione!" Sirius cried, jumping up off the couch as she stepped into the sitting room. "Are you okay? What happened? Why didn't you tell me you were going? I would've come with you."

"I'm... fine," she frowned a little, "And I didn't tell you because I knew you'd want to come."

"But what happened? What did the Healer say?" he asked nervously, holding her gently by her upper arms and looking into her eyes.

"Could you floo-call The Burrow and ask Ron to come over here, please? When he gets here can you both come up to my room?"

"Uh, sure," he frowned, "But why? Please tell me what happened."

"Later, I promise."

"Okay, love, I'll go get him," Sirius sighed, kissing Hermione's cheek and watching as she ascended the staircase to her room.

Hermione was pacing the floor, thankful that her sickness, her _morning _sickness, had worn off. She was trying to think of some way to tell them that wouldn't surprise them as much, but nothing she thought of made the fact she was pregnant any less shocking. She'd barely been decided on how to tell them for twenty seconds when there was a series of soft, yet fast and arrhythmic knocks on her bedroom door. She could tell simply from that that Sirius was worried about her.

Patting her pocket to make sure the parchment was still there, she walked over to the door and, taking a deep breath, opened it. Seeing both of them there together make her whimper slightly, there was no backing out now. She stepped aside to let them in and gestured to her bed.

"Sit."

They obeyed her and watched as she paced for a while longer.

"What's wrong, Mione?" Ron asked after a few silent minutes.

Her pacing stopped abruptly and she blinked at him, as if she'd forgotten he was even there.

"Please tell us, love. We're worried about you," Sirius looked up at her with a distressed expression on his handsome face.

"Well, I went to a Healer earlier," she started, her voice so soft and weak it sounded alien even to her own ears.

Both men nodded, urging her on.

"I had a theory about what was wrong... and I was right."

"What is it?" Sirius asked, his eyes pleading.

"I..." she trailed off, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, "I'm..."

"You're what?" Ron questioned.

She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath, "Pregnant. I'm pregnant."

The tears welled up in her eyes so fast she didn't have a hope of stopping them before they spilled over and dripped down her cheeks. Before she knew it, Sirius' arms were wrapping around her and she was falling limply into his arms, feeling too weak to stand.

Ron frowned as he watched his best friend collapse into Sirius' arms, wondering why she'd wanted him there when she announced her pregnancy. Then he realised. Normally he was very slow, but this just seemed so obvious. Her baby could he his. He didn't remember either of them casting a contraceptive charm that night, so the child was as likely to be his as it was to be Sirius'. He hoped against hope for all their sakes that it wasn't his, that it was Sirius'. He knew how awkward it would be explain to everyone that Hermione's unborn baby was his and why it was so. He didn't want that, and he didn't want her child to grow up with two fathers.

He knew Hermione and Sirius were meant for each other, and he didn't want to get in the way of their happiness, if this child turned out to be his, then it would definitely cause problems. He wondered if Sirius knew about what had happened between them, and sincerely hoped he did because if not he wouldn't be very happy when he found out. He also wondered if Hermione knew who the father was. If she did, then it had to be him because otherwise she wouldn't have wanted him to be there. It was more probable that she didn't know and was waiting to find out when all three of them were together, but that may just have been him hoping the child wasn't his.

Sirius was confused. He wanted to be happy she was expecting, elated even, but when she was crying about it he just couldn't. When she was unhappy, it made him unhappy too. He gently lowered her to the ground and allowed her to curl up in his lap, sensing that she was feeling tired and weak. Then he looked up at Ron who was still sitting on the bed and frowned even more. Why did Hermione want him there?

He took in the worried look on the youngest Weasley boy's face and realisation hit him like a rogue bludger. Hermione's child could be Ron's. If they were drunk he doubted they would've remembered to use a contraceptive charm, and even if they did he doubted either of them would remember. He looked back at Hermione, who was looking up at him nervously.

"It's his, isn't it?" he asked quietly, knowing that was the reason she wanted them both present.

"I don't know," she whispered her answer feebly, "But it could be."

Both Ron and Sirius relaxed a little at that, but only a little. They still didn't know for sure that it wasn't Ron's.

"We'll go to St Mungo's after you've had a rest and ask them to do a test," Sirius said, but Hermione shook her head.

"They already have."

"Then how can you not know?" Sirius frowned.

"Wanted you two to be with me. Check my jeans pocket."

Sirius pulled a folded piece of parchment from her front pocket and looked at it like it was about to come alive and Avada them all. It was certainly the most intimidating piece of parchment he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Do you want to read it?" he asked.

Hermione nodded and sat a up a little, taking the parchment in gently shaking hands and unfolding it. A single glance was all it took for the tears to start up again, but this time she had a sloppy smile on her face.

"Sirius," she murmured sleepily, looking into his pale eyes, "It's you, you're going to be a daddy."

A huge grin broke out across his face, he didn't think he'd even smiled as much before in his life. Pulling her closer to him, he hugged her tightly, yet still gently, never wanting to let her go. He kissed her forehead and fought back his own tears.

Within the minute, Hermione had fallen asleep in his arms and he picked her up to take her to bed.

"Congratulation," Ron smiled in relief at Sirius.

"Thanks," he smiled back, "I really don't know what I did to get so lucky."

Ron pulled back her blankets and Sirius lowered her into her bed softly, tucking her in and kissing her head again.

"I think she'd say the exact same thing if she were awake," Ron answered him.

"I'm going to be a father," Sirius frowned, "Am I too old?"

Ron chuckled, "This is the Wizarding World, mate, no one's ever too old for these things."

With that, he left, leaving the two soon-to-be parents in peace.

Sirius crept into bed beside the woman he loved and wrapped his arms around her stomach, wondering what it would be like in a few months when their child was more visible.


	15. An Eventful Morning: Part One

**A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter :]**

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Hermione groaned and padded into the kitchen, searching for something cold – anything. She opened the fridge and lay on her back on the floor in front of it, letting the cool air wash over her much over-heated body. Sighing, she ran a hand over her five month pregnant belly and lifted her nightshirt up so she could cool down more easily.

Sirius awoke to an empty bed, and immediately began worrying about Hermione. He knew she'd probably gone to the kitchen to get some carrots – she'd become rather fond of them over the past few months – but he couldn't help worrying. He dragged himself out of bed and into the hallway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Halfway down the hall, he heard shouting coming from Harry and Ginny's room and the door flew open without warning, allowing an extremely frightened looking Harry to come out.

"Er, everything alright, mate?" Sirius asked, taking in the stunned look on his godson's face.

"It's Ginny," he replied quietly, "Her water broke."

The two men stared at each other for close to a minute, before they snapped out of it.

"I'll go wake Tonks, you stay with Ginny," Sirius said hurriedly.

"No, I don't want to go back in there with her, she'll murder me."

"Then you go wake Tonks, and I'll stay with Ginny," he offered.

"Okay. Good luck," Harry smiled slightly, before hurrying down the hall towards Remus and Tonks' room.

Sirius sighed and walked into the room, finding the lights out and Ginny's very dim outline shaking on the bed. He switched the light on and watched as Ginny's petrified face came into view. She stared at him as if he was wearing a metallic, sequinned drag queen dress and a face of makeup.

"Harry's gone to wake Tonks, she'll be here in a minute."

The young woman nodded mutely, her arms tightening around her stomach. Sirius walked over to her and sat beside her on the bed, looking at her worriedly.

"Are you okay? Does it... hurt?" he asked.

"It's fine," she whispered to the sheets, before raising her eyes to meet his. "I'm scared, Sirius."

"What about?"

"I don't think I can do this. I'm not fit to be a mother," she said, her bottom lip trembling.

"You're a Weasley, Ginny, of course you're fit to be a mother," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"But what if I'm not? What if I do something wrong?" a few tears dripped down her cheeks.

"Everyone makes mistakes, it's natural."

"But this is another person, another life, what if I hurt it?"

"You won't, I know you won't," he took her hand in his. "You are going to be an amazing mother, Ginny. You and Harry will love this child with all your hearts and when he or she grows up you'll teach them how to play Quidditch, and Merlin knows they'll be spectacular. You have nothing to worry about. Trust me."

Ginny gave a watery smile and was about to thank him when Tonks hurried into the room in a neon green nightgown.

"Sirius, out!" she ordered, rushing over to the bed.

"Bu-"

"I said _out!_" she repeated, giving him a venomous look.

Bowing his head, Sirius quietly left the room and ran into Hermione on the way downstairs.

"Why is it so loud?" she asked quietly, one hand on her stomach and a carrot held in the other.

"Ginny's water broke," he answered simply, smiling at the way her beautiful eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my, is she okay? Has she gone to St Mungo's yet?"

"Tonks is looking after her, and if you want to keep your life, I advise not trying to go in."

"Why not?"

"She looked like she was about to murder me when I didn't leave quick enough. I actually thought I was helping the girl, but she didn't even let me say one word."

"You were helping Ginny?" Hermione tried to hide her surprise, but was rather unsuccessful.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was," he sounded quite proud of himself.

She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I helped her feel better, I'm sure of it. She was telling me she was scared of being a bad mother and I reassured her she'd be great."

"Did you make a joke about her being a Weasley?"

"Possibly," he answered.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm sure you were brilliant."

At that moment, Remus and Harry emerged from Remus' room and made their way down the hall towards the couple.

"How is she?" Remus asked, obviously directing the question at Sirius.

"She's scared, but who can blame her for that?"

"No wonder she's scared," Hermione said, feeling sympathy for her friend, "Harry look petrified enough and he's not even the one that has to give birth."

"It'll be you in there with Tonks next," Sirius smiled at her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

"A carrot?" Harry frowned, looking at the orange vegetable in her hand.

She shrugged and began nibbling at it again, noting that it was rather good stress relief as well as being nutritious and dulling her cravings.

"I'm going to get dressed, I want to go to the hospital to be with her," Hermione announced after a moment of silence.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, you worry too much."

"I'll help," he offered, before turning to Harry and Remus, "Give us a shout once they leave."

"Of course," Remus smiled, placing a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder.

Sirius followed Hermione back to his room – their room, now that she's officially moved in – and watched her pluck items of clothing from the cupboard. He watched as she pulled her nightshirt over her head, revealing her beautiful pregnant belly. She often thought she looked fat, but in his eyes he only saw beauty. Could anything be more beautiful than the woman he loved more than anything in the world carrying his first child? He was yet to find anything.

"You're staring," her soft voice brought him out of his thoughts.

She stood before him wearing nothing but a pair of cotton underwear and holding the nightshirt loosely in her hands. Stunning.

"Can you blame me?" he stood from the bed and took the nightshirt from her, replacing it with his own hands. "You're beautiful."

A light blush dusted her cheeks and she look down, "You really think so?"

"I know so, Hermione, you're the most beautiful thing in the whole world," he declared. Then he chuckled slightly, "Though, with your amazing beauty and my incredible handsomeness, our child might best you."

She couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her as she smiled up at him, "I love you."

"I love you, too," his lips pressed against hers gently, like a whisper, before pulling away, "We need to finish getting ready."

"Will you help me?"

"I'd do anything for you."

She stood smiling at him for a long moment before handing him a pair of her sweatpants that she wanted to wear. He knelt before her and assisted her with getting her feet into each leg, before pulling them gently up her legs. He was very cautious around her hips and belly, making sure the waistband was comfortable, before he let go and looked up at her. He ran his hands over her stomach a few times, before leaning in and placing a small kiss on her soft skin.

He rose to his feet and kissed each of her hands, "I'm constantly amazing by your beauty, Hermione."

She smiled for what felt like the hundredth time and handed him her most comfortable bra. Gulping ever so slightly, he slid each strap over her arms and onto her shoulders, before walking behind her. Frowning at the odd metal clasps, he tried unsuccessfully to piece the two sides together a few times, before he figured it out. He smiled happily, feeling quite proud that he'd taken such a short time to master the art of the bra. Though, he was still at a loss at how Hermione could do it up behind her back without actually looking at it.

"You did better than I expected," she told him, barely able to keep her giggles at bay.

He smirked and helped her with her baggy white t-shirt that had once belonged to him. He made to help with her cardigan as well, but she swotted him away.

"You have to get dressed too," she smiled, looking down at his pyjamas.

He was beginning to do the buttons up on his shirt when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Hermione called, knowing that Sirius would object to neither Harry nor Remus seeing him like that. She was sure both had seen him shirtless on many occasion.

"Tonks doesn't think she's up to apparition and the floo doesn't seem to be working, so we're not sure what we're going to do," a confused looking Remus informed them from the doorway.

Hermione and Sirius looked at each other then back to Remus, "What else is there?" Sirius asked.

"If you think of anything, please let us know," he said, his eyes almost pleading.

"Of course," Hermione smiled, an idea already in her head. But it was _not_ an idea she liked much.

With a slight nod of his head, Remus left, closing the door behind him.

"You're thinking," Sirius accused, half jokingly, half seriously.

"We could fly," she whispered, so quietly he hardly heard her, "Ginny's always loved flying, maybe it'll keep her calm, being up in the air, on her broom, Harry's arms wrapped around her. It might be the best way to get her to Mungo's."

"And yet, you don't look very happy," he observed, "Why is that?"

"I don't like flying," she looked down, a little embarrassed.

"We can apparate, we can wait for them there," he offered, moving to sit on the bed beside her.

"We need to be there in case something happens."

"Remus will be there, or Tonks, depending on who stays to look after Teddy."

"I'll feel bad apparating when she can't."

"I'm sure she'll forgive you," he reasoned.

"We should tell the others," she said abruptly, already half-way to the door.

Sirius sighed and got up to follow her.

"We can fly," Hermione stated as she entered the hall.

"What?" Harry asked dumbly.

"Fly. As in, on brooms," she elaborated.

"But Ginny-"

"I'm sure you'll keep her safe," Sirius cut him off.

"You, Hermione, are a genius," Remus said.

"But we already knew that," Sirius smirked, kissing her temple and pulling her closer.

"Who would like to volunteer to go in and tell the girls?" Remus asked, desperately hoping it didn't have to be him.

Hermione rolled her eyes as Harry, Remus and Sirius all seemed to take half a step away from the door, "Wizards," she sighed, walking to the door.

"What?" Tonks called a split-second after she knocked.

"We have a solution," Hermione said, poking her head into the room.

"You do? Oh, do tell me what it is."

"We'll fly," she answered, "On brooms."

"Of course, why didn't we think of that? Ginny, are you up for a moonlit broom ride with Harry?"

"If it gets me to the hospital," was her groaned answer.

Hermione shuddered to think of what it must feel like. Well, she'd find out in four months, wouldn't she?

"Hermione, yell at those idiots out there and tell them to give me a hand, would you?" Tonks smiled at her.

"Of course," she laughed quietly. "Tonks needs help carrying Ginny," she said once she reached the door, "Harry, Remus, you two go in and help, Sirius, you and I will get the brooms ready."

They all nodded and Harry and Remus nervously entered the room. Shaking her head, Hermione took Sirius' hand and they set about getting brooms ready for everyone.

"Hermione, we'll apparate there, Ginny won't mind," Sirius said once he saw Hermione take down a third broom.

"I want to be with her in case something happens."

"I told you, Tonks or Remus will be right beside them."

"And if they loose concentration for a split-second, anything could happen. I want to go."

"I won't let you."

"What?" she said, hardly believing what she was hearing, "What gave you the right to tell me what to do?"

"Hermione, be logical, you're pregnant yourself, whoever was up there with Ginny and Harry would worry about you, too."

"But I'll have you with me, you can worry about me, and Tonks or Remus and myself will worry about Ginny."

"Have you ever ridden a broom before, Hermione?"

"No, not technically."

"Then you'll be worrying so much about holding on, you won't have time to worry about Ginny."

"But one person isn't enough, I don't want anything to happen to her, or that little baby."

"I know, love, I know," he tugged her into his arms.

"You could fly with them and I could apparate alone," she murmured against his chest.

"No, I'm not leaving you."

Hermione smiled a little at his protectiveness, but knew it wasn't safe for Ginny to be on a broom with only one person there to aid any mishap.

"I have in idea," Sirius stated

"Well?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"Tonks and Remus can both fly with them and-"

"But what about Teddy?" Hermione asked.

"We'll take Teddy. We'll go to the Burrow, to Shell Cottage, to everywhere needed until we track down all the Weasleys. We could go to Luna and Neville's too, and we'd still get to St Mungo's before them. They need us to do this, Hermione. It all works out. Ginny will have Tonks, Remus and Harry looking after her, we'll have Teddy, I'll have you," he gave her a kiss on the cheek, "And Molly Weasley will be informed of the imminent birth of another grandchild."

Hermione giggled a little at the last one and nodded to him, "Let's get these brooms upstairs."

Once their plan was voiced to the others, and they'd all agreed to it – Remus more than a little sceptical the idea was actually Sirius' and not Hermione's – they all went on their way. Hermione watched as the three dots retreated into the night sky and sighed. Now, get Teddy and alert all Weasleys of the goings-on. Easy.

"Come on, love," Sirius took her hand and lead her to Tonks and Remus' bedroom to get Teddy.

The little bundle of cute with aqua hair was more than happy to see people and held his pudgy arms out for Hermione to pick him up. She smiled and scooped him up in her arms, laughing at his little sound of contentment. She looked up to find Sirius staring at her with the oddest expression on his face.

"Sirius?"

"Hmm?" his eyes seemed to refocus on her.

"What are you thinking?"

"What you'll be like with our child."

Hermione smiled, "Much like I am now, but if our baby has turquoise hair, I'll be a little worried."

"We should go, it might take a while to round everyone up, especially at this time in the morning."

"Burrow first?"

"Good idea, I'll take Teddy and you concentrate on getting yourself there in one piece."

"I'll be fine, you really need to stop worrying so much about me," she handed Teddy to him, "See you soon."

She was gone before he could object to her apparating alone. She popped into the Burrow's living room moments later, startling a deer-in-the-headlights looking Arthur Weasley, who was halfway through what seemed to be the last slice of Molly's famous chocolate cake.

"I won't tell," she giggled softly, patting him on the elbow, "But you might want to finish up quick. I have some news."

"Is Ginny okay?" was his automatic reply.

"She's fine," she said, only lying the smallest bit, "Can you wake everyone for me?"

"Of course," he gulped down the rest of the cake and made his way upstairs.

Sirius popped in a second later.

"Go to Shell Cottage to get Bill's family and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to get George," Hermione told him. "Leave Teddy with me. It'll be easier with everyone here so we only have to explain once."

He hesitated for a second, before he nodded, handed the toddler to Hermione and popped away again.

Placing Teddy beside her on the home-knitted rug in front of the fireplace, she floo-called Romania.

"Hermione?" Charlie asked in confusion.

"Can you come to Burrow? It's important."

"Now?"

"If you can."

"If it's that important I'll be there in a second," he said, still frowning.

"Thank you, Charlie," she smiled, before disconnecting and giving her back a stretch. Sirius would kill her if he knew she'd been on the ground like that.

"Hermione, dear, what's wrong?" Molly asked, hurrying into the room with Arthur and Percy and Ron behind her.

"We need to wait till the others get here. Sirius is going to Shell Cottage and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and Charlie's on his way," she plucked Teddy off the ground and set his on her hip.

She'd barely finished her sentence when the fireplace flared green and Charlie Weasley stumbled into the room.

"Oh, Charlie, dear," Molly exclaimed, pulling her second eldest into a motherly hug, "It really has been too long. You don't visit nearly enough."

"I know, Mum, I'm sorry," he said, moving to shake hands with his father. "Now, what's the big emergen- Wow! I mean, er, congratulations, Hermione," he blinked at her stomach.

"I have to agree with Molly, you don't visit nearly enough. I'm already five months," Hermione said to him.

"I didn't even know you had a bloke, do I know him?" Charlie asked, still not quite registering what he was seeing.

"Um, yeah. You do," she said.

"Who is he then?"

"Sirius."

The moment his name left her lips, the man in question apparated into the room with Bill right behind him, "Victoire isn't feeling well, so Fleur's staying home with her," Bill said upon arrival.

"I'll go get George," Sirius said quickly, before he was gone again.

Silence hung in the air as Charlie once again blinked in confusion, trying to take in so much new information.

"Did I miss something?" Bill asked after a moment.

"Charlie just found out Hermione was pregnant. And that Sirius is the father," Percy informed his eldest brother.

"I see," Bill nodded, fully understanding why his brother looked so shocked. They'd all been shocked when Hermione and Sirius told them the news.

"So, how's Ginny?" Ron asked conversationally.

Hermione bit her lip and gulped. Thankfully, Sirius and George chose that moment to apparate into the room, so she didn't need to answer.

"Well, everyone's here, can you tell us now?" Charlie asked.

"Ginny's in labour," Hermione stated.


	16. An Eventful Morning: Part Two

**A/N: I apologise greatly for the massive wait you all had between the previous chapter and this. But it's here now and I hope you enjoy it. Remember; I love reviews and they made me write quicker :]**

* * *

It had taken about fifteen minutes to calm the Weasleys down, Molly was exceptionally loud and anxious to get to St Mungo's to see her baby daughter give birth.

"Why couldn't you just tell us?" Ron asked her.

"Because that would mean explaining the situation over and over until you all knew."

"What 'situation'? Is something wrong?" Molly looked at her worriedly.

"No, well, not really. Ginny and the baby are both fine, if that's what you're worried about," Hermione explained.

"Then what do you have to explain?" Percy asked impatiently.

"Well, Tonks didn't think she was up to apparating to St Mungo's, and for some reason the floo network wasn't working."

"So how are they getting there?" Arthur frowned.

"Um, well," she gulped, "They're flying."

With an echoing thump, Molly Weasley fainted.

"Flying?" Charlie questioned, ignoring the fact his mother was now lying unconscious at his feet. "My baby sister has just gone into labour and she's riding a broom?"

"There was no other way," she told them, "Harry, Tonks and Remus are all there to look after her and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Can we go now?" George asked, looking more worried than she'd ever seen him before.

"They probably won't be there yet, but I don't see why we can't be there waiting for them when they arrive," she said. "But remember to give her space, the last thing she'll want before she gives birth is to have her family pestering her about how she feels."

As soon as she finished her sentence, there are five simultaneous cracks and Ron, George, Percy, Charlie and Bill were on their way to the hospital.

"Is Molly okay?" Hermione asked, looking down at Arthur, who was moving his wife into a more comfortable position.

"She'll be fine. I expect the shock was just too much for her," he smiled. "You two better go keep my sons in order."

"I hope she'll wake up soon, she'd hate missing this."

"We'll come as soon as she does."

Sirius apparated out first, followed by Hermione, with Teddy still on her hip. When they arrived, they were greeted with the sight of one poor Medi-witch trying to calm down five large redheaded males. Sighing, Hermione shook her head and walked over.

"Everyone be quiet," she said, but no one listened.

With another sigh, she cast silencing charms on them all and lead the frightened Medi-witch away.

"I'm very sorry about that lot, their baby sister has just gone into labour, and as you can probably tell, they're quite worried about her."

"It's okay, miss, I'm used to this kind of thing, although it's usually the mothers that act that way."

"Yes, well, Molly's still passed out on the floor from the news, but that's beside the point. Has a Ginny Weasley come in?"

"I won't be a moment," said the Medi-witch as she left to check the records. "I'm sorry, the last Weasley we had in was Fleur Weasley, and that was months ago."

"Thank you. I'm sure she'll be here soon."

"I'll keep an eye on the floo."

"Oh, she won't be flooing. They'll be arriving by broom."

"By broom?"

"The floo network wasn't working, you see, and I doubt apparition would've done her much good."

"Oh, I see," the Medi-witch looked a little shocked, but Hermione was sure she understood. "I'll keep an eye on the door, then."

"No need," Sirius said, coming up behind the two women. "She's here."

Hermione turned to see everyone in the hospital lobby moving to the sides to let them pass. Harry never once took his eyes of Ginny, who was balancing on a broom beside him with a brave face on. Remus and Tonks both had their wands out, holding the broom steady as they made their way further into the room.

"Okay," Hermione said, turning back to the Weasley brothers, "I'm going to take the silencing charm down, but don't bombard her with questions, got it?"

All five nodded enthusiastically, each pair of eyes begging her to let them speak. Hermione shook her head at herself, not quite sure why she was trusting them, but gave her wand a flick anyway and took the charm down.

To her great surprise, they were still completely silent as they watched their sister being escorted into one of the wards. She wondered momentarily if the spell had worked, but couldn't think about it much because the next second Molly Weasley apparated into the foyer and made a beeline for Hermione. Arthur followed shortly after.

"Where is she?" Molly asked, her voice still calm and strong although the worry lines on her face suggested otherwise.

"Come with me," she replied, before turning to Sirius, "You'll keep this lot under control, won't you?"

"Yes ma'am," he pecked her on the cheek and waved her away.

Hermione lead Molly and Arthur to the room Ginny had gone into and motioned with her hand for them to enter. She didn't think Ginny would appreciate being crowded in her current condition.

"Let us know how she's going, okay?" she smiled a Molly and Arthur.

"Of course, thank you, dear," Molly patted her shoulder gently before following her husband into the room.

Tonks and Remus emerged shortly after, carrying their brooms, "We'll just pop home and put these away," Remus told the others, and true to his word, they 'popped' away.

Hermione and the Weasleys had migrated into a small waiting room near the room Ginny was in with Harry and her parents when Remus and Tonks got back. Tonks took her little boy from Hermione and gave him a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead. Remus then walked up behind her and gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead.

Hermione turned to Sirius, "They are so cute together."

He smiled and placed a hand on her swollen stomach, "That'll be us in a few years."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," she informed him.

"Excuse me?" he frowned.

"Well, there are two reasons, first, we aren't married."

"True, but that can be changed easily enough," Sirius told her.

"And secondly, we're having twins," she held her breath, waiting for his reaction.

"What?"

"Twins. A boy and a girl."

"Seriously?"

Hermione nodded nervously.

"Wow."

"Is that a good 'wow' or a bad 'wow'?"

"Good. Shocked, but good."

She sighed in relief.

"Twins, really?"

"Yeah. I was pretty shocked too."

"A boy and a girl?"

"That's what I said, Sirius," she told him, smiling.

"Wow."

"You said that already," she giggled.

"I know, but... wow."

Hermione laughed and gave him a light kiss.

"Why are you two so happy?" Ron asked, eyeing them suspiciously form the row of seats opposite them.

"We're having twins," she said, smiling widely and laughing when Ron's face paled.

"I had to deal with Fred and George all my life and now I have another set of twins to deal with?"

"Yes. Yes, you do."

"Bloody hell."

"I happily offer my services to teach them all my pranks and tricks, for only a very low fee," George offered.

"Thank you, but no thank you," Hermione said.

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

Suddenly a loud scream came from within the room and everyone outside froze. A second later Arthur emerged from the room, looking utterly horrified.

"The baby's coming," was all he said, although it didn't really need to be said.

"Merlin that was a very short labour, she's very lucky," Hermione said, wondering how long she'd be in labour with her twins.

The others were all silent, and stayed that way until Ginny's screaming stopped. The waiting room simultaneously held its breath, waiting nervously until a more delicate screaming began. Everyone in the room sagged so much as their breath was released form their lungs that it gave the impression to those watching that the roof was being pulled upwards by invisible hands.

The next few hours went by a blur, friends and family all going into the ward to meet little James Severus Potter. Hermione wondered how both Harry's father and her late professor would feel having the same child carry both their names, and finally decided (with some persuasion from Sirius) that they would put aside their differences and consider it an honour to have that beautiful baby boy named after them.

He was a very beautiful baby, indeed, with a tuft of thick, dark auburn hair and Ginny's soft brown eyes. His skin was very pale, with a pink tinge considering he had just been born. The nurses had okayed everything and said that he was perfectly healthy. To the two first-time parents he was the perfect little baby boy.

Neville and Luna came as well, and Luna mentioned something about him having lots of Wackspurts in his ears. They had yet to decide if this was a good thing or not. Harry did recall having heard the possibly non-existent creature before, but couldn't place it.

Many hours later, Molly shooed everyone out, claiming Harry and Ginny needed time to bond with their new baby. Hermione wasn't quite sure how a not even one day old baby could bond, but thought it probably worked through the kind of magic that couldn't be taught at Hogwarts.

When Remus, Tonks, Teddy, Sirius and Hermione finally returned to Grimmauld Place, they were so tired they flopped down in the living room and sat for long, relaxing minutes. Teddy had been put to bed because he had fallen asleep at the hospital and the adults felt very envious of him.

"I think we should make a nursery," Sirius said suddenly.

"What?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Well, with Teddy already here, and now James, I think we should make a nursery for them. Not to mention our twins will be coming along in a few months."

He and Hermione both smiled as he mentioned their unborn children.

"I think it's a great idea," Remus agreed.

"Me too. Teddy's getting bigger and he shouldn't be sleeping in our room every night," Tonks said.

"Then it's agreed. We'll turn one of the spare rooms into a nursery," Sirius finalised.

"Are you sure, Sirius?" Hermione frowned at him.

"Positive," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Tonks and I are going to check on Teddy," Remus announced, noticing that Sirius and Hermione should probably be left alone.

"What? We just- oh," Tonks realised why her husband was dragging her away and happily followed him out the door.

"I want our children to have the best life possible. And James and Teddy, too, of course," Sirius added.

"Thank you, Sirius," she whispered.

"I love you, Hermione."

"I love you, too," she leaned in and gave him a proper kiss.

"How long have you known we were having twins?" he asked when they pulled away.

"About a week, I was waiting for the perfect time to tell you."

"A hospital waiting room when your best friend was in labour was the perfect time?"

"Yes."

"And how can you be sure?"

"Because I didn't have to question whether it was or wasn't. Just like I knew I loved you because I never had to question it."

Sirius smiled and leaned in to kiss her again, his hand slowly dropping down to her swollen stomach. Hermione pulled away from him slowly, staring lovingly into his eyes.

"I couldn't have asked for a better father for my children," she whispered.

"Have you given any thought to names?" he asked softly.

"Not really, no."

"Maybe we should start, we only have a few months left."

"A few months is a long time, Sirius," she smiled.

"It'll go by faster than you think. I remember the day you told me you were pregnant like it was yesterday, and that was four months ago."

"I guess you're right. Do you have any ideas?"

"No. I've been thinking for a few days, but nothing seems right."

Suddenly Hermione frowned.

"What is it?"

"What? Oh, nothing. I need to go to the library for a few minutes."

With that she stood and made her way up the stair to the Black library, leaving an utterly confused Sirius in her wake.

An hour later, Hermione emerged with a smile on her face and went to find Sirius.

"I have names," she announced as she entered the living room where Remus, Tonks, Teddy and Sirius were seated.

"Names for what?" Tonks frowned.

"Our babies," she informed her happily.

"Well, let's hear them," Sirius smiled widely.

"Lyra and Orion."

She sighed as the smile fell form his face. She was hoping for a better reaction than that.

For the second time that day, Remus and Tonks left the couple alone to discuss what needed to be discussed, taking Teddy with them.

"No," was all he said.

"Sirius-"

"I said no," his voice was a lot stronger and a little frightening, if Hermione were to be honest.

"Just listen to me, Sirius, please-"

"My family hated me, Hermione. And I hated them. Now, tell me why I would honour their choices in names?"

"It isn't a choice, it's a tradition, Sirius."

"Why would I honour a _tradition_ of a family I hated?"

"Because it's still your family. Everyone in it has been named after a star or constellation, shouldn't your children be as well?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Well, I do."

"Hermione, stop being so stubborn."

"Me? I'm the one being stubborn? What about you, Sirius? You're the one refusing to even consider honouring a tradition that's been in your family for generations!" her voice was continuously growing in pitch and volume.

"Why would I? If they were alive, they wouldn't want my children to hold any connection to them, nor would they want me to."

"They're your _family_, Sirius, surely that means something to you."

"James and his parents were my family!" he exclaimed, his voice also becoming a little too loud.

Hermione took a deep breath in order to calm down, "No, Sirius. They may have cared about you, but they were never you family. You're a Black, always have been and always will be."

They stood in the middle of the room, Sirius having jumped to his feet at some stage during the argument, both panting a little from shouting too much. Before Sirius made a hasty exit from the room, Hermione could have sworn she saw a tear in his eye.

"Sirius!" she called after him, worrying that she'd gone a little too far.

Feeling her own bottom lip begin to tremble, she ran into her old room and collapsed into the bed, thankful it was still there. As the sobs shook her body and salty tears stung at the skin around her eyes, she wrapped her arms around her stomach and slowly fell asleep.


	17. Forgive, but Don't Forget

**A/N: I am so sorry this took so long, I won't even bother with excuses, I'll just drop to my knees and beg you all to forgive me. I know this chapter is really short, but I couldn't think of anything else to put in. **

**I think the next chapter will be the epilogue, unless you guys want me to write more. **

* * *

"What?" Hermione groaned as someone began shaking her the following morning.

"You need someone to talk to," Tonks stated, "I'm that someone."

"I don't want to talk."

"I never said you did, but you need to."

"Go away, I'm not in the mood."

"Will you ever be?"

Hermione was silent for a moment, "Good point."

She sat up and allowed a hot cup of tea to be placed into her hand.

"Now, what exactly happened last night? Remus and I did hear a lot, but I think some important things were too quiet for us to hear."

Hermione smiled, not many people would admit to eavesdropping like that, "Well, as you know I brought up the idea of naming our twins Lyra and Orion. And as you know Sirius didn't take it too well."

Tonks nodded for her to continue.

"He said he doesn't want to continue the tradition because they're not his family."

"What did you say?"

"I said they were his family whether he liked it or not. Then he said James and his parents were his family, then I said they weren't, that he's a Black and can't change it," she took a breath. "Then he left."

They were both silent.

"I should've known he'd react like that."

"Hermione, it's not your fault."

"But it is. I know he hates his family. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"Stop, Hermione. Come on, you need to talk to him," Tonks stood and held out her hand.

"He won't want to talk to me."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"You may be the smartest witch of your age, Hermione, but that doesn't mean you know everything," Tonks said.

Hermione humphed, but nodded her head and took her friend's outstretched hand.

* * *

"Sirius, let me in," Remus called, finding the door to his (and usually Hermione's) room locked.

"No."

He rolled his eyes, "I mean it, Sirius. Open this door or I'll unlock it magically."

"I don't want to talk."

"I think you need to."

"Well, you're wrong."

"Come on, Sirius, just open the door," Remus sighed, getting irritated.

"I said no, Remus."

"And I know you can be very stubborn sometimes, but-"

"Just leave me alone!" came the rather angry reply from within the room.

Remus, not realising his mistake, kept probing, "Open up, I just want to talk."

There was no reply.

He sighed again, and turned to see Tonks half-dragging Hermione down the hall towards him. He smiled, happy that at least Tonks had been successful in her chat to Hermione.

"He's stopped talking to me," Remus informed the pair, "But I have a feeling his tongue will loosen when he hears your voice."

Hermione bit her lip and walked up to the door. Gulping, she turned back to Tonks and Remus, who nodded encouragingly.

"Sirius?" she questioned quietly.

"Hermione?"

"Yeah, umm," she took a deep breath, "Can I come in?"

Remus and Tonks quietly ran down the hall to avoid being seen when Sirius opened the door.

"Sirius, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything, I know you hate your family. I-" Hermione began when he opened the door, but stopped short when she noticed that his eyes were red. "Have you been crying?"

"Of course not."

"Don't lie, Sirius."

"You have been too."

"Have not," she sniffed, automatically reaching up to rub her eyes.

"Why are we both so stubborn?" he smiled a little.

"It's just the way we are," she smiled as well.

"Come in," he stepped aside and let her in.

"Can we just forget last night ever happened?" she asked as they sat on his bed.

"No."

She blinked, "I'm sorry?"

"I said no. Forgetting things never helps."

"Can you forgive me, then?"

"You've done nothing that needs to be forgiven. I overreacted."

"No, it was my fault. I just thought that maybe you would've wanted to continue the tradition. When I think about it now it sounds stupid, but I wanted to give you the chance in case you did."

"I admit a small part of me wants to, but then I remember how they treated me."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," she said softly, "And for what I said about the Potters, I'm sure they loved you like you really were part of their family."

"You're forgiven, Hermione, you don't need to apologise anymore."

She smiled and they were both silent for a moment.

"My father's name was Orion."

"I know," she whispered.

"Then why did you suggest it?"

"Because I liked it. I like Lyra, too."

"Lyra," he said softly, testing it out, "I like it, too."

"Most people don't know it has anything to do with astronomy, you know," she said cautiously.

He chuckled, "You really like it, don't you?"

"I wouldn't name her that if you're not happy with it, though."

"Maybe that will keep the little part of me that wants to honour the tradition happy," he smiled at her.

"You mean it?"

"I mean it. In four months we'll have a daughter called Lyra."

Hermione smiled widely and pressed her lips to his, "Thank you, Sirius."

"No, thank you, Hermione."

"For what?" she frowned.

"For loving me," he answered, covering her lips with his once more.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck as they fell onto his bed. As she got further into her pregnancy, Sirius was getting increasingly nervous about hurting the baby, or babies now that he knew they were expecting twins. Most of the time Hermione liked his gentleness, and this was one of those times.

"What about the boy?" she asked him as he stroked her cheek.

"I haven't given it much thought."

"What about Ryan?"

"Ryan? Where did that come from?"

"Orion, without the 'O'."

He smiled and kissed her again, "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?"

"But you knew that," she grinned.

"I'm okay with Ryan, I like it."

"Really?" her whole face lit up.

"Really. Ryan and Lyra Black."

"It sounds right."

"Ryan and Lyra Granger."

"I want them to have your last name," she insisted.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Sirius."

"Children usually take their mother's surname when she's not married, though."

"Harry and Ginny didn't do that."

"Yes, but they'll be getting mar-" he cut himself off.

"They're getting married? That's what you were going to say, wasn't it?"

"No..." he trailed off, trying to think of something that sounded similar to use as a cover-up.

"Oh my Gods, they are! When did he ask her?" she squealed happily.

Sirius sighed and gave up, "He hasn't, but he's going to. He may have already, actually."

"Oh, that's amazing. I'm so happy for them," she beamed.

"How do you know she's going to say yes?"

She rolled her eyes, "It's obvious. If she didn't want to marry him she wouldn't have had his child and allowed it to have his last name."

Sirius frowned and thought for a moment, "Does that mean you want to marry me?"

"What?"

"You're having my children and insisting they take my name, so you must want to marry me."

"You'll have to ask me if you want to know the answer to that question."

"Will you marry me, then?"

"You have to do it properly, Sirius," she grinned and pushed him away playfully.

He pushed her back and she fell onto her side, not expecting him to retaliate. Taking full advantage of the situation, he climbed on top of her and pinned her to the bed.

She smiled up at him and gently stroked his cheek, "I'm glad I found you."

Just as he leaned down to kiss her, the door opened unexpectedly and Tonks and Remus stumbled into the room. Sirius and Hermione looked at them in confusion and irritation at being interrupted.

"Did you want something?" Hermione asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"Uh..." Tonks turned to Remus as if asking for help.

"We were just..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say either.

"I believe the word you were looking for was 'eavesdropping'," Hermione said, hiding her smile.

The couple before them exchanged yet another worried glance before Remus spoke, "We shouldn't have, and we're sorry, we just didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"Remus is right, we know how you two can get and we wanted to be here in case things went badly," Tonks added.

"But we can see that things have gone very well, so we'll be going now," Remus said, making his way to the door.

"How much did you hear?" Sirius asked, rolling off Hermione.

"Not a lot, actually," Tonks said, "This door is rather thick."

"We decided on names," he told them.

Tonks and Remus looked at each other, "What are they?" Remus asked.

"Lyra and Ryan," he smiled. "Close enough to and yet far enough from the tradition to make them acceptable."

"Well, I'm glad you're both happy," Remus smiled, wrapping an arm around his wife and leading her to the door. "We'll leave you two alone."

Once the door was closed, Sirius rolled back to Hermione, who was giggling and blushing.

"What is it?" he asked, combing a hand through her mass of curls.

"They know what we're going to do," she said quietly.

"And what would that be?" he whispered.

"Don't make me say it," her cheeks darkened.

Smiling, he leaned down and kissed her, any answer she may have given being swallowed by his lips.


End file.
